Aluísio Azevedo

Aluísio Tancredo Gonçalves de Azevedo was born in São Luís, Maranhão, in 1857. He initially pursued a career in painting and caricature before turning to literature. His early novels, including O Mulato (1881), tackled racial prejudice and helped establish Naturalism in Brazil. Azevedo's most celebrated work, O Cortiço (1890), offers a stark, deterministic portrayal of a Rio de Janeiro slum, exploring themes of social inequality, greed, and the animalistic instincts of its inhabitants. He also wrote plays and short stories. After a successful literary career, he entered the Brazilian diplomatic service in 1895, serving in various countries until his death in 1913. Azevedo's legacy lies in his unflinching social critique and his influence on later Brazilian realist and modernist writers.