Amado, Jorge (zhôr`zhĭ əmä`d

), 1912–2001, Brazilian novelist. Amado's works deal largely with the poor urban black and mulatto communities of Bahia. His early novels, such as The Violent Land (1942, tr. 1945), are marked by grim and violent realism. His later works, such as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (1958, tr. 1962), Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands (1966, tr. 1969), Tent of Miracles (1969, tr. 1971), and Tieta, the Goat Girl (1977, tr. 1979), frequently have a comic element and stress folkloric and popular themes related to Afro-Brazilian culture. Alive with vibrant characters, his novels often reflect his left-wing political views and his deep sympathy for women. Although sometimes criticized for stereotyped female characterizations and for romanticizing poverty, Amado is acclaimed for his portrayal of ordinary Brazilians and is the most widely read Brazilian novelist of the 20th cent. and among the most translated novelists in the world. His later fiction (he wrote 32 books in all) includes Pen, Sword, Camisole (1979, tr. 1985), Showdown (1984, tr. 1988), and The War of the Saints (1989, tr. 1993).

Bibliography

See biography by B. J. Chamberlain (1990); study by K. H. Brower et al., ed. (2000).

Amado, Jorge

(born Aug. 10, 1912, Ferradas, near Ilhéus, Braz.—died Aug. 6, 2001, Salvador, Bahia) Brazilian novelist. Amado was born and reared on a cacao plantation. He published his first novel at age 20. His early works, including The Violent Land (1942), explore the exploitation and suffering of plantation workers. Despite imprisonment and exile for leftist activities, he continued to produce novels, many of which have been banned in Brazil and Portugal. Later works such as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (1958), Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1966), and The War of the Saints (1993) preserve Amado's political attitude in their more subtle satire; many of his books were adapted for film and television.