Contents
Graciliano Ramos
Writing Vidas Secas, a spare portrait of a family struggling through drought and poverty.
São Bernardo · Angústia
- Born
- 27 October 1892
- Birthplace
- Quebrangulo, Brazil
- Died
- 20 March 1953
More people
Graciliano Ramos
Brazilian novelist whose tightly controlled prose examines power, deprivation and inner conflict, particularly in the country’s northeast.
Early life
Northeastern childhood
Grew up in several towns in Alagoas and Pernambuco in a large family.
Reading and newspapers
Developed an interest in literature and began publishing while still young.
Career
- 1920s
Local public life
Worked in commerce and became mayor of Palmeira dos Índios.
- 1930s
Novels and imprisonment
Published major fiction, worked in education and was imprisoned without trial in 1936.
- 1940s–1953
Writing in Rio
Continued fiction, memoir and journalism after settling in Rio de Janeiro.
Selected work
São Bernardo
A landowner recounts the destructive pursuit of possession and control.
Angústia
An inward portrait of obsession and resentment.
Vidas Secas
A drought-stricken family moves through the Brazilian backlands.
Beyond work
Political commitment
Joined the Brazilian Communist Party in 1945.
Prison testimony
His experience of detention became the posthumously published Memórias do Cárcere.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Unknown Unknown. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
