João Guimarães Rosa (27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet, and diplomat. Born in Cordisburgo, Minas Gerais, he was the first of six children of Florduardo Pinto Rosa (nicknamed "seu Fulô") and D. Francisca Guimarães Rosa ("Chiquitinha"). Self-taught in many fields, he began studying languages from a young age, starting with French.

Rosa only wrote one novel, "Grande Sertão: Veredas" (known in English as "The Devil to Pay in the Backlands"), a revolutionary work noted for its blend of archaic and colloquial prose, frequent use of neologisms, and inspiration from the spoken language of the Brazilian backlands. The novel is often compared to James Joyce's "Ulysses" due to its profound philosophical themes, being described by critic Antonio Candido as a "metaphysical novel." In a 2002 poll by the Bokklubben World Library, "Grande Sertão: Veredas" was named among the 100 best books of all time.

Rosa also published four books of short stories that revolve around life in the sertão, addressing existential and universal themes. In 1967, the same year he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Rosa passed away due to a heart attack.