Jorge Leal Amado de Faria was a prominent Brazilian writer of the modernist school, born on 10 August 1912 and passing away on 6 August 2001. He remains the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work translated into approximately 49 languages and celebrated in films, notably Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands in 1976. His literary creations reflect the image of a Mestiço Brazil and are characterized by religious syncretism. He portrayed a cheerful and optimistic country that was simultaneously beset by profound social and economic distinctions.

Amado occupied the 23rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1961 until his death in 2001. Throughout his career, he was awarded the 1984 International Nonino Prize in Italy and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times.

Apart from his literary contributions, Jorge Amado served as a Federal Deputy for São Paulo by the Brazilian Communist Party between 1947 and 1951.