Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was a prominent Brazilian modernist writer, politician, and journalist, born on October 27, 1892, and passed away on March 20, 1953. Known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian sertão, his novel Vidas Secas stands out as a significant work. His characters are complex, nuanced, and tend to have pessimistic worldviews, exploring themes such as the lust for power in São Bernardo, misogyny in Angústia, and infidelity.

Ramos's protagonists are mostly lower-class men from northeastern Brazil, often aspiring writers, or illiterate country workers, who have to deal with poverty and complex social relations.

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