One of the most important figures in Brazilian literature, João Guimarães Rosa was born on 27 June 1908 in Minas Gerais. Medical doctor and diplomat (serving in Hamburg, Germany as an assistant-consul), Rosa is best known for his literary works in several novels and short-stories, some of them even becoming movies and TV mini-series.

During his years with the embassy work, along with his second wife Aracy Moebius de Carvalho, their were responsible for securing and assisting the escape of many Jews during the Nazi German in the early years of WWII.

Regionalism, magical realism and a heightened use of Neologisms are strong characteristics of his works, which started in 1936 with the poetry book "Magma", officially released in 1997 due to the author's embarrassment with it. The short story collection "Sagarana" (1946) marks as his debut as a celebrated writer, and from there he followed with "Com o Vaqueiro Mariano" (1947), "Corpo de Baile: Noites do Sertão" (1956), his immortal classic "Grande Sertão: Veredas" (1956) - later turned into a film in 1965 and a TV mini-series in 1985; "Primeiras Estórias" (1962), "Campo Geral" (1964), "Tutaméia - Terceiras Estórias" (1967); and three more posthumous works released between 1969 and 2011. The film A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga (1965) is a story adapted from the many short stories included in "Sagarana".

He was a member of the Academia Brasileira de Letras and died three days after receiving the honor during a great ceremony, in 1967.