Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡɾasiliˈɐnu ˈʁɐmuz dʒi oliˈvejɾɐ]; October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician, and journalist. He is known worldwide for his description of the difficult lives of poor people living in the Brazilian sertão in his novel Vidas secas. His characters are complex and detailed, often showing negative views about life. Ramos explored themes such as the desire for power (São Bernardo), dislike of women (Angústia), and unfaithfulness in relationships. His main characters are usually poor men from northeastern Brazil, often aspiring writers (Caetés) or uneducated farm workers, who face poverty and complicated social situations.
Like writers Jorge Amado and Erico Verissimo, Ramos was part of Brazil’s second group of modernist writers, known as "1930s modernism." Critics have compared some of his work to the Southern Gothic tradition. He supported communist ideas throughout his life and was connected to the original Brazilian Communist Party.
Life
Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was born on October 27, 1892, in the city of Quebrangulo, in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, to Sebastião Ramos de Oliveira and Maria Amélia Ramos. He was the oldest of the couple’s 16 children.
He spent much of his childhood traveling between cities in Northeast Brazil. After finishing high school in Maceió, he worked with the newspaper Jornal de Alagoas in 1909. He published a sonnet titled "Céptico" under the name Almeida Cunha and other writings using many different names. He also wrote for the magazine O Malho under the name Feliciano de Olivença and started a short-lived newspaper called Echo Viçosense in 1906.
In 1914, he moved to Rio de Janeiro but returned to Alagoas in September 1915 to live with his father, who worked as a salesman in Palmeira dos Índios. In 1915, he married Maria Augusta de Barros, and they had four children. Maria Augusta died in 1920 due to complications during childbirth.
In 1927, Ramos was elected mayor of Palmeira dos Índios. He began his work in 1928 and left the position in 1930. Augusto Frederico Schmidt, impressed by the quality of Ramos’s reports from his time as mayor, encouraged him to publish his first novel, Caetés, which he began writing around 1925. He finished the book in 1930 but did not publish it until 1933. In 1928, he married his second wife, Heloísa Leite de Medeiros, and they had four more children.
From 1930 to 1936, he lived in Maceió again. In 1934, he published the novel São Bernardo. In 1935, he was arrested for alleged but unconfirmed involvement in a Communist uprising. After his release, he published his most famous novel, Angústia, with the help of friends like José Lins do Rego.
In 1938, he published Vidas Secas and moved permanently to Rio de Janeiro. In 1945, he joined the Communist Party of Brazil. In the years that followed, he traveled with his wife to countries such as France, Portugal, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia. In 1945, he also published Infância, a book about his childhood.
Starting in 1952, Graciliano’s health worsened. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on March 20, 1953, after an unsuccessful surgery. His wife, Heloísa, died 46 years later in Salvador, Bahia.
Graciliano was survived by six children and his second wife. He described himself as an atheist, even though he enjoyed reading the Bible.
Public domain
The works of Graciliano Ramos became part of the public domain on January 1, 2024, 70 years after the author’s death, as stated by Brazilian law. However, the author’s family argued that the work should remain protected because the author had a living daughter at the time. They claimed that, under the Civil Code of 1916, the work is protected as long as the daughter was alive. Because of this, the family signed a contract with Editora Record that will last until January 2029. It is unclear if the copyright will remain protected. Sonia Jardim, President of Record Group, said in 2024 that "there may be two editions of Vidas Secas in the market." However, the last surviving daughter of Graciliano Ramos passed away in 2022. In December 2023, the family announced they would follow Brazilian law.