14 must-reads in Brazilian literature for every book lover

Brazilian literature manages to encapsulate the Portuguese language with a Brazilian flair and local themes. Even for those reading the translated versions, these authors will captivate you with their earnest characters and courageous narratives.

As Brazilian literature encompasses so many masterful authors, we’ve made an effort not to repeat works from the same writer. However, we made one exception with Machado de Assis—the most influential author in Brazilian literature sees two of his works enter this list.

Book lovers, get your pen and paper at the ready, because you’re going to want to take notes.

O Quinze, Rachel de Queiroz (1930)

Brazilian journalist, author, and diplomat Rachel de Queiroz published her first work, O Quinze, or “The Year Fifteen”, in 1930—when she was only 20 years old. Born in Fortaleza, Ceará in 1910, Ms. Queiroz led a prolific life, recognized for her newspaper columns, novels, and short stories. In 1964, Queiroz represented Brazil at the United Nations and became the first women to enter the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

In O Quinze, Queiroz provides a portrait of the Northeastern Brazilian man at the turn of the century. Faced with the great drought of 1915, the migrant Chico Bento and his family journey to the Amazon.

The Feint, Sérgio Rodrigues (2013)

Recently published by Brazilian journalist and author Sérgio Rodrigues, The Feint features a weary sports commentator and equates the talents of soccer legends Didi, Zidane, and Falcão to the prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Rodrigues’ book won the Portugal Telecom Grand Prize.

Time and the Wind, Erico Verissimo (1951)

This epic by popular 20th-century writer Erico Verissimo comes in three parts:  The Continent, The Portrait, and The Archipelago. The trilogy narrates the formation of Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. Verissimo’s work spans 200 years of history, from 1745 to 1945. Over these years, Brazil’s South was characterized by oligarchy, internal wars, and border conflicts.

Captains of the Sands, Jorge Amado (1937)

In this revolutionary work, Jorge Amado portrays the lives of the street children of Salvador, one of the major cities in Brazil’s Northeast. In this gang of 100 street kids, ages 7 to 15, there are leaders, teachers, dreamers, and lovers. At the time, however, Amado received harsh criticism for integrating aspects of Afro-Brazilian culture, such as Candomblé and capoeira, into his works. In the year of its publishing, over 800 copies of the book were burned in the capital square.

The book gained a film adaptation in 2011, directed by the author’s own granddaughter, Cecilia Amado. Watch the trailer here.

Pornopopeia, Reinaldo Moraes (2009)

Pornopopeia exploded on to the Brazilian literary scene as São Paulo’s answer to Trainspotting. The book tells the story of a struggling cinematographer, who makes a living filming commercials for obscure brands. When the protagonist accepts a job to film a commercial for a sausage company, he ends up mixed up in a sex and drug-trafficking ring. His involvement spirals and he ends up participating in the murder of a drug dealer and fleeing to a small beach town, where he joins the beatnik movement.

Macunaíma, Mario de Andrade (1928)

In the style of magical realism and regional dialects, Mario de Andrade tells the story of Macunaíma, born in the Brazilian jungle with special shapeshifting powers. His protagonist travels to São Paulo and back again, taking the readers through polar opposites of Brazilian life. In fact, Macunaíma is a representation of the Brazilian character as a whole. Andrade based his work off his research on Brazilian linguistics, culture, and indigenous folklore.

The Passion According To G.H., Clarice Lispector (1964)

This work by Ukrainian-Brazilian writer and journalist Clarice Lispector takes us into the mind of a woman who goes only by the initials G.H. Her book comes in the form of a monologue, recounting her crisis after killing a cockroach in her wardrobe.

The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, Machado de Assis (1881)

The deceased protagonist Brás Cubas narrates his own life story from beyond the grave, reliving his mistakes and failed romances. Published in 1881, the novel plays with surreal devices of metaphor and narrative construction, very unlike the clear, realist novels of his contemporaries.

The Slum, Aluísio Azevedo (1890)

This book epitomizes Brazil’s naturalist movement. Aluísio Azevedo narrates the life of Portuguese immigrants, former slaves, and mixed-race people living in the same impoverished community. Their characters and behavior change according to their environment, race, and social position.

Azevedo’s novel is key to understanding 19th century Brazil. He describes the raw social dynamic between whites and non-whites. In fact, the slum is as much a character itself as the people who live in it. A perfect book for a binge read.

Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis (1899)

Dom Casmurro is certainly one of the greatest works in the history of Brazilian literature. Machado de Assis tells the story of adultery through the eyes of a betrayed husband. The husband tells of how his wife Capitu (Capitolina, in allusion to the Roman Capitolinus) cheated on him with his best friend. She later gives birth to a son that the narrator believes is not his.

However, the narrator doesn’t seem to have any solid facts. In fact, his story of betrayal almost sounds like one of paranoia. As a result, the reader never quite knows whether or not Capitu really cheated on her husband. Machado de Assis, however, said that the book contains all the pieces to the puzzle.

Can you solve the mystery?

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Note: We had originally translated Sérgio Rodrigues’ book ‘O Drible’ as “The Dribble.” After the author expressed his preference for “The Feint,” we have changed the text.