From the East to Bahia: My Journey Toward Jorge Amado.

It often happens that stories travel vast distances to arrive, almost by magic, on our bedside tables. My encounter with Jorge Amado happened exactly like that: born in Italy, I discovered a pillar of Brazilian literature while traveling through the Middle East. It is tangible proof that, through books, distances dissolve and cultures meet.

My first contact with Amado was through The War of the Saints (here you can discover the Italian version of the book), a dense work where the author’s soul emerges through a vital chaos of characters and subplots. Amado does not just tell a story; he paints a fresco of Brazilian society, using elements bordering on the supernatural - such as a statue coming to life - to lay bare both its ferocity and its infinite beauty.

I consider Amado a “top” author because of his ability to bring the supernatural closer to us, rooting it in the earth, the scents, and the people. He was the supreme chronicler of Bahia, weaving the folklore of Afro-Brazilian cults with social struggles, always placing extraordinary women at the center. Through figures like Teresa Batista, as well as the famous Gabriela or Dona Flor, Amado brought to life remarkable characters: strong, resilient, and profoundly free women capable of claiming their own destiny in an era that sought to stifle them.

Reading his stories today means diving into the past without ever feeling the weight of years or the dust of boredom. Amado’s writing remains rhythmic and warm: a constant invitation for modern readers to step into a world where myth and reality live side by side, and where every journey, much like the one that led me to discover him, ends up enriching us deeply.

Author

Name: Giuseppe Mento
Nationality: Italian
A Brief Bio: My career has always been rooted in a passion for the written word, evolving from my time as an editor and librarian into the world of digital marketing. When I’m not deep in a book, you’ll find me biking through city streets, hiking up a trail, or volunteering with my community. I’m a firm believer that life is best lived between the pages of a great read and the fresh air of the great outdoors!