Graciliano Ramos

Graciliano Ramos
Ramos in 1940
Born	Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira (1892-10-27)October 27, 1892 Quebrangulo, Alagoas, Brazil
Died	March 20, 1953(1953-03-20) (aged 60) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Other names	Feliciano de Olivença Almeida Cunha
Occupation(s)	Novelist, politician, journalist
Notable work	Vidas Secas, Angústia, São Bernardo, A Terra dos Meninos Pelados
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Title	Mayor of Palmeira dos Índios
Term	1928–1930
Political party	Brazilian Communist Party
Spouse(s)	Maria Augusta de Barros (1915–1920) (her death) Heloísa Leite de Medeiros (1928–1953) (his death)
Children	Márcio Ramos (1916–1950) Júnio Ramos (1917–1975) Múcio Ramos (1919–1994) Maria Ramos (1920–1980) Ricardo Ramos (1929–1992) Roberto Ramos (1930)[2] Luísa Ramos (1931–2022) Clara Ramos (1932–1993)
Parent(s)	Sebastião Ramos de Oliveira (died 1934) Maria Amélia Ramos (died 1943)

Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡɾasiliˈɐ̃nu ˈʁɐ̃muz dʒi oliˈvejɾɐ]) (October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian sertão in his novel Vidas secas. His characters are complex, nuanced, and tend to have pessimistic world views, from which Ramos deals with topics such as the lust for power (the main theme in São Bernardo), misogyny (a key point in Angústia), and infidelity. His protagonists are mostly lower-class men from northeastern Brazil, which are often aspiring writers (such as in Caetés), or illiterate country workers, all of which usually have to deal with poverty and complex social relations.

Like fellow writers Jorge Amado and Erico Verissimo, Ramos was part of Brazil's second generation of modernist writers, in what is known as "1930s modernism". A lifelong supporter of communist ideas, he was affiliated with the original Brazilian Communist Party.