Early years Sales completed his elementary education in his hometown,
Andaraí, a small mining city in the
Chapada Diamantina. He then moved to
Salvador to enroll at the
Jesuit Antonio Vieira College, where his literary talent was noticed and stimulated by teachers, especially Father Cabral, who also taught and encouraged both
Anísio Teixeira and
Jorge Amado.
Career Despite the supportive environment, Sales left school without graduating, and returned to his hometown, where he lived until 1948, working as a
notary officer. Around that time, he also worked as a diamond prospector and merchant. These experiences inspired his first novel,
Cascalho, which drew the attention of the dictionarist
Aurélio Buarque de Holanda for its rich regional vocabulary. The novel sparked controversy in Sales's hometown, earning the author death threats from wealthy diamond miners who felt they had been portrayed in a negative light. Sales then moved to
Rio de Janeiro, where he began working as a journalist for various press agencies, especially the magazine
O Cruzeiro, at whose publishing house he edited the monumental collection
História da Literatura Ocidental. His second novel,
Além dos Marimbus, which recounts a man's travel to purchase a farm, garnered acclaim from the likes of
João Guimarães Rosa,
Marques Rebelo, and
Rachel de Queiroz. In 1965, he published one of his
chefs d'oeuvre,
Dados Biográficos do Finado Marcelino (
pt), whose minutious technique, careful craft, and melancholic atmosphere have been compared to those of
Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu. During
José Sarney's term, Sales was appointed advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, before moving to
Paris, where he served as cultural attaché at the Brazilian Embassy. Upon returning to Brazil, he sought isolation at the small town of
São Pedro da Aldeia.
Marriage He was married to Maria Juraci Xavier Chamusca Sales, with whom he had three children. == Works ==