Picture of author.

Jorge Amado (1912–2001)

Author of Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon

135+ Works 9,121 Members 192 Reviews 29 Favorited

About the Author

Jorge Amado, August 10, 1912 - August 6, 2001 Elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Jorge Amado possesses a talent for storytelling as well as a deep concern for social and economic justice. He was born in Bahia, Brazil, in 1912. Some critics claim that his early works suffer from his show more politics. Others commonly express reservations concerning Amado's sentimentality and erotico-mythic stereotyping. In the works represented in English translation, his literary merits prevail. The Violent Land (1942) chronicles the development of Brazilian territory and struggles for its resources, memorializing the deeds of those who built the country. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (1958), which achieved critical and popular success in both Brazil and the United States, tells a sensual love story of a Syrian bar owner and his beautiful cook. Home Is the Sailor (1962) introduces Captain Vasco Moscoso de Aragao, a comic figure in the tradition of Don Quixote. In Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1966), Amado introduced the folk culture of shamans and Yorube gods. The protagonists of Shepherds of the Night (1964) are Bahia's poor. (Bowker Author Biography) Jorge Amado has been called the greatest twentieth-century Brazilian novelist. He was born in 1912 in Ilheus, in the northeastern-most state of Bahai. This area serves as the backdrop for most of Amado's work, which reflects a deep appreciation of the Brazilian essence. Amado's works have made him a national figure in Brazil. Amado's early novels were shaped by a belief in Marxism, and relate the sufferings of humble fishermen and cocoa plantation workers. By the 1950s, he had turned his attention to the plight of middle-class Bahains. This more jovial approach brought him worldwide acclaim, and his keen comic sense and appreciation of the common man have drawn comparisons to the novels of Charles Dickens. Music, cuisine, and passion figure prominently in Amado's literary output. Amado's works have been translated from Portuguese into more than forty languages, have sold over fifty million copies worldwide, and have been reworked for film, television, and stage. His portraits of commanding female characters, including Gabriela from Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, and Dona Flor from Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, have been adapted to the screen, and actress Sonia Braga earned her initial success in these roles. Other titles include The Sand Captains; Memory of a Child; The War of the Saints; and Home Is the Sailor. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Courtesy of Serpent's Tail Press

Series

Works by Jorge Amado

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (1958) 1,484 copies
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1966) 1,335 copies
Captains of the Sands (1937) — Author — 892 copies
Tent of Miracles (1969) 482 copies
Home Is the Sailor (1959) 363 copies
The War of the Saints (1988) 303 copies
Sea of Death (1936) — Author — 293 copies
The Violent Land (1943) 290 copies
Tieta do Agreste (1977) 286 copies
Showdown (1989) 284 copies
Jubiabá (1935) — Author — 280 copies
Shepherds of the Night (1980) 218 copies
Cacao (1933) 158 copies
Pen, Sword, Camisole (1979) 158 copies
The Golden Harvest (1944) 106 copies
Bahia de tous les saints (1945) 104 copies
Il paese del carnevale (1931) 89 copies
Seara Vermelha (1946) 86 copies
Suor (1934) 76 copies
Agonia della notte (1954) 46 copies
Il ragazzo di Bahia (1982) 40 copies
ABC de Castro Alves (1987) 27 copies
La Palla Innamorata (1998) 22 copies
O amor do soldado (1973) 21 copies
Capeta Carybé, O (1996) 11 copies
Los coroneles 11 copies
The Miracle of the Birds (1983) 10 copies
Leute aus Bahia. (1933) 8 copies
Romanzi - Volume II (2002) 6 copies
Essencial Jorge Amado (2010) 5 copies
In giro per le Americhe (2004) 4 copies
Morte Nas Nuvens (2000) 3 copies
Cinco histórias. (2004) 2 copies
Cacau 1 copy
Kultahedelm maa (1944) 1 copy
Amado Jorge 1 copy
Obras de Jorge Amado. 4, Jubiaba — Author — 1 copy
Jorge Amado 1 copy
Alınteri 1 copy
Jubiabá — Author — 1 copy
Kizgin Toprak (2008) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Devil to Pay in the Backlands (1956) — Introduction, some editions — 980 copies
The Eye of the Heart: Short Stories from Latin America (1973) — Contributor — 156 copies
A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America (1991) — Contributor — 148 copies
Queremos tanto a Julio: 20 autores para Cortázar (1984) — Contributor — 4 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Amado, Jorge
Legal name
Amado de Faria, Jorge
Other names
AMADO DE FARIA, Jorge
AMADO, Jorge
Birthdate
1912-08-10
Date of death
2001-08-06
Burial location
Cremated, Ashes in his garden
Gender
male
Nationality
Brazil
Birthplace
Itabuna, Brazil
Place of death
Salvador, Brazil
Places of residence
Itabuna, Brazil
Ilhéus, Brazil
France
Czechoslovakia
Occupations
politician
writer
Relationships
Gattai, Zelia (wife)
Organizations
Brazilian Academy of Letters
Awards and honors
Prémio Camões (1994)
Short biography
Blurb: Jorge Amado, geboren in 1912, wordt beschouwd als de grootste schrijver in Brazilië. Met meer dan 8 miljoen exemplaren van zijn boeken in druk is hij de spreekbuis en getuige van zijn geliefde volk. Hij weet zowel hun armoede als hun strijd, hun hartstochten en hun dromen op onnavolgbare wijze op te roepen. Amper 19 jaar oud publiceerde Amado zijn eerste werk en reeds op 23-jarige leeftijd was hij een der succesvolste auteurs van Zuid-Amerika. De tientallen romans die deze eminente volksverteller heeft gecreëerd, waaronder de internationale bestsellers Gabriele, Dona Flore en haar twee echtgenoten, Vlinders van de nacht en Tereza Batista, zijn vertaald in 45 talen en gepubliceerd in 60 landen. Tocaia Grande, in drie haar tijd geschreven, is de meest gedurfde en meest luisterrijke roman uit Amado’s roemrijke schrijversloopbaan. Deze wonderlijke, onvergetelijke geschiedenis van een werkelijk unieke stad, waarin opnieuw de zelfkant van de Braziliaanse samenleving centraal staat, is wederom onmiddelijk een wereldwijde bestseller geworden (flaptekst).

Members

Discussions

Group Read, May 2016: Gabriela, Cinnamon and Clove in 1001 Books to read before you die (May 2016)

Reviews

They call themselves ‘Captains of the Sands’, a gang of orphans and runaways who live by their wits and daring in the torrid slums and sleazy back alleys of Bahia. Led by fifteen-year-old ‘Bullet’, the band – including a crafty liar named ‘Legless’, the intellectual ‘Professor’, and the sexually precocious ‘Cat’ – pulls off heists and escapades against the privileged of Brazil.

But when a public outcry demands the capture of the ‘little criminals’, the fate of these children becomes a poignant, intensely moving drama of love and freedom in a shackled land. Captains of the Sands captures the rich culture, vivid emotions, and wild landscape of Bahia with penetrating authenticity and brilliantly displays the genius of Brazil’s most acclaimed author.

Really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. Amado doesn’t go in for the straight poor but good angle, but seems to truthfully try and reveal the life of all of Bahia.
He portrays the life of the boys as a series of adventures, which fall on both sides of the law but ultimately which they participate in to survive, while each one dreams of escape, or of a maternal love they have never known.

Blog https://quizlit.org/12-magnifico-latin-american-books
… (more)
 
Flagged
Quizlitbooks | 20 other reviews | Apr 20, 2024 |
O temperamento do Gato Malhado não era nada bom: bastava aparecer no parque para todos fugirem às pressas. E ele não se importava mesmo com os outros, ia tocando a vida com a indiferença habitual. Até que, chegada certa primavera, o Gato nota que a Andorinha Sinhá não tem receio algum dele.
Foi o suficiente para que dali nascesse a amizade dos dois, que se aprofunda com o tempo. No outono, os bichos já viam o Gato com outros olhos, achando que talvez ele não fosse tão ruim e perigoso, uma vez que passara toda a primavera e o verão sem aprontar. Durante esse tempo, até soneto o Gato escreveu. E confessou à Andorinha: "Se eu não fosse um gato, te pediria para casares comigo". Mas o amor entre os dois é proibido, não só porque o Gato é visto com desconfiança, mas também porque a Andorinha está prometida ao Rouxinol.
Jorge Amado colheu a história desse amor impossível de uma trova do poeta Estêvão da Escuna, que a costumava recitar no Mercado das Sete Portas, em Salvador, e a colocou no papel com o tom fabular dos contos infanto-juvenis em 1948, quando vivia em Paris. Não era uma história para ser publicada em livro, mas um presente para o filho, João Jorge, que completava um ano de idade. Guardado entre as coisas do menino, o texto só foi reencontrado em 1976. João Jorge entregou então a narrativa a Carybé, que ilustrou as páginas datilografadas. Jorge Amado deu-se por vencido: o livro foi publicado no mesmo ano.
O texto foi adaptado mais tarde para teatro e balé.
… (more)
 
Flagged
editora_sesimg | 6 other reviews | Dec 14, 2023 |
Contiene las novelas "La muerte y la muerte de Quincas berro de agua" (hasta la pagina 64) y "La completa verdad sobre las discutidas aventuras del comandante Vasco Moscoso de Aragon, capitan de altura¨..
 
Flagged
amlobo | 9 other reviews | Sep 23, 2023 |
Desde o seu lançamento, em 1937, Capitães da Areia causou escândalo: inúmeros exemplares do livro foram queimados em praça pública, por determinação do Estado Novo. Ao longo de sete décadas a narrativa não perdeu viço nem atualidade, pelo contrário: a vida urbana dos meninos pobres e infratores ganhou contornos trágicos e urgentes. Várias gerações de brasileiros sofreram o impacto e a sedução desses meninos que moram num trapiche abandonado no areal do cais de Salvador, vivendo à margem das convenções sociais. Verdadeiro romance de formação, o livro nos torna íntimos de suas pequenas criaturas, cada uma delas com suas carências e suas ambições: do líder Pedro Bala ao religioso Pirulito, do ressentido e cruel Sem-Pernas ao aprendiz de cafetão Gato, do sensato Professor ao rústico sertanejo Volta Seca. Com a força envolvente da sua prosa, Jorge Amado nos aproxima desses garotos e nos contagia com seu intenso desejo de liberdade.… (more)
 
Flagged
Camargos_livros | 20 other reviews | Aug 28, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
135
Also by
5
Members
9,121
Popularity
#2,637
Rating
3.9
Reviews
192
ISBNs
756
Languages
21
Favorited
29

Charts & Graphs