Jorge Amado was born in 1912 in Ilheus, the provincial capital of the state of Bahia, in Brazil. The son of a cocoa planter, he published his first novel at the age of nineteen, and both that and succeeding novels were dominated by the theme of class struggle, giving way in the 1950s to a lighter approach, an international reputation and stage and film versions of his work. Amado died at the age of eighty-eight in 2001.

'One of the greatest writers alive ... also one of the most entertaining' Mario Vargas Llosa, author of The Feast of the Goat and Death in the Andes 'As a story it has got it all: assassinations, political intrigue, treachery, vengeance, illicit liaisons and a relentless narrative energy' Glasgow Herald 'Amado is by turns a realist, fantastical, episodic, direct, angry, humorous and, above all, characterful' Scotsman 'An exciting and enjoyable romp of a book, rich in literary delights' New York Times