Machado de Assis

Writer, Poet, Chronicler, Playwright and Journalist

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was the master of irony, the genius who transformed Brazilian literature into something sophisticated, but without losing its malice. Born in 1839 in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a mulatto painter and a Portuguese laundress, he overcame all social barriers with talent and a sharp pen.

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Self-taught, stuttering and epileptic, he managed to become Brazil's greatest writer without having to leave the country. He created unforgettable characters like Bentinho and Capitu, leaving entire generations to this day fighting over a certain pair of hungover eyes. Founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, he spent his life observing the hypocrisy of society and recording it with deadly subtlety. He died in 1908, but his work is still as alive as ever - wherever he is, he's probably still laughing in our faces.