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Graciliano Ramos made a mark on Brazilian literature with his works depicting the life of Northeastern men in the sertão.

The writer was part of the 2nd phase of modernism, which had regionalism as its main characteristic. Raquel de Queiroz, Jorge Amado and José Lins do Rego were some of the authors who shared this phase with Ramos.
In important works such as ‘Vidas Secas’ and ‘São Bernardo’, you can see the realism used by the author to describe the difficulties of life in the sertão. Having lived most of his life in the interior of Alagoas, Graciliano knew this reality intimately.
Because of his links to communism, Ramos was imprisoned during the Vargas dictatorship. His time in prison was portrayed in ‘Memórias do Cárcere’ (Prison Memoirs) , which features an important episode in the story: the delivery of Olga Benário to the Germans.
The book was released without the last chapter, as the author died before finishing it.
Biography of Graciliano Ramos
Graciliano Ramos
- Literary Movement
- Style
- Biography
- Main Books
1. Literary Movement
The author from the north-east is part of the 1930s Generation or modernism of the second phase, a period in which nationalist and regionalist themes were strengthened.
At the time, from 1930 to 1945, writers from the northeast in particular portrayed the reality of the sertão and the exploitation of man.
Some authors from this regionalist phase are: Raquel de Queiroz, José Lins do Rego, Jorge Amado, and Érico Veríssimo.
2. Style
The author Graciliano Ramos doesn’t make any major linguistic innovations; his focus is on the narrative. As his main objective is to portray the condition of the man from the north-east, Ramos avoids flowery language.
His writing style is clear and concise, reflecting, in certain passages, the rougher way of speaking of the countryside he describes.
The author seeks to portray the life of the people of the northeast and their difficulties in the sertão. In his works, it is possible to identify a strong pessimism and blunt social criticism.
3. Biography
Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was born in Quebrangulo, in the state of Alagoas, to Sebastião Ramos de Oliveira and Maria Amélia Ferro Ramos, one of the couple’s 16 children. From an early age, he lived in a region marked by drought, a central theme in much of his literature.
His father, who had a rigid temperament, often used violence to discipline his children, which influenced the author’s view of human relationships, often portrayed in his works as based on violence.
At the age of 12, in 1904, Graciliano created the children’s newspaper ‘Dilúculo’. Later, he worked as an editor at the ‘Echo Viçosense’, where he met Mário Venâncio, a figure he admired. At the time, he lived in Viçosa, Alagoas, and the following year he went to study in Maceió, the state capital.
His first sonnets were published in the Rio magazine ‘O Malho’, under the pseudonym Feliciano de Olivença. Later, in the ‘Jornal de Alagoas’, he used other pseudonyms such as Soeiro Lobato, Lambda, and Soares de Almeida Cunha.
In 1911, he began working at the ‘Correio de Maceió’.
In 1914, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he collaborated with various publications, such as ‘Correio da Manhã’, ‘ O Século’, ‘A Tarde’ , and ‘Paraíba do Sul’ , but returned to Alagoas the following year, settling in Palmeira dos Índios. There, he married Maria Augusta Ramos, with whom he had four children. Maria Augusta died in 1920.
Graciliano was elected mayor of Palmeira dos Índios, but resigned after two years. He moved to Maceió, where he became director of the Official Press and married again, to Heloisa Medeiros.
Even though he was attracted to life in small towns, Graciliano returned to Palmeira dos Índios, where he began writing the classic ‘São Bernardo’. His first published book , however, was ‘Caetés’, in 1933. Another milestone in his career, ‘Vidas Secas’, wasn’t released until 1938, and years later it was adapted for the cinema.
During the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship, Graciliano was accused of involvement in the Communist Intent of 1935 and ended up being arrested in Rio de Janeiro. The work ‘Angústia’ emerged from this period .
After his release, he worked as a copy editor for newspapers and, in 1945, joined the Brazilian Communist Party, led by Luís Carlos Prestes.
Graciliano Ramos died in 1953 from lung cancer.
His unfinished work, ‘Memórias do Cárcere’, was published posthumously, without the final chapter, consolidating his importance in Brazilian literature.
4. Main Books
Graciliano Ramos is known for his works that portray the reality of the sertão and the difficulties of the people of the Northeast.
- Caetés (1933) – His first published novel, centred on the life of a civil servant in a small northeastern town.
- São Bernardo (1934) – A novel that tells the story of Paulo Honório, an ambitious man who seeks to rise socially, but is faced with existential emptiness.
- Angústia (1936) – An introspective novel that explores the psychological conflicts of a man tormented by frustrations and resentments.
- Vidas Secas (1938) – His most famous book, it portrays the life of a family of migrants struggling to survive in the drought-stricken sertão.
- Childhood (1945) – An autobiographical book that recounts Graciliano’s childhood memories, highlighting family conflicts and the reality of the sertão.
- Memórias do Cárcere (1953, posthumously) – An account of his imprisonment during the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship, mixing personal memories and political reflections.
These works established Graciliano Ramos as one of the greatest writers in Brazilian literature.
Bahia.ws – Tourist Guide to the Northeast, Bahia and Salvador