Júlio Ribeiro (1845–1890) was the founder of the naturalist movement in Brazilian literature. His famous and repeatedly published novel Flesh provoked fierce controversy immediately after its release in 1888. In vivid and rich colors, the novel depicts not only the wild nature of Brazil and the everyday life of its people, but also the passions simmering in the hearts of Brazilian woman Lenita and her lover Barbosa. Júlio Ribeiro portrays his heroes with finesse and sharpness—openly depicting their inner world and experiences—anticipating in his novel both Freud’s theory of sexual motivation of human behavior, and the exciting images of another great Brazilian writer, Jorge Amado, already familiar to Russian readers—such as Dona Flor, the drifter (Vadinho), Gabriela, and others.