Machado de Assis

He is widely regarded as the greatest writer of Brazilian literature and the founding president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He broke away from the Romantic traditions of his era, pioneering a highly original, cynical, and deeply psychological style of realism.

Published in 1881, the novel is a classic example of an unreliable narrator, as the protagonist Bento Santiago obsessively tries to convince the reader that his wife, Capitu, cheated on him with his best friend. The book leaves it permanently ambiguous whether she actually committed adultery or if Bento is simply insane with jealousy.

He was born to a poor family in Rio de Janeiro and was of mixed race, with a black mother and a mulatto father. Despite the rampant racism and social barriers of 19th-century Brazil, his literary genius allowed him to ascend to the highest echelons of Brazilian society.

The nickname "Casmurro" roughly translates to a stubborn, tight-lipped, or gloomy person who keeps to himself. The protagonist adopts the title to reflect his bitter, isolated state as an older man looking back on his life.