«When everyone says “yes” together in unison, I say “no”. That’s just the way I was born,» wrote Jorge Amado about himself—and hardly lied. Anyone who lies cannot be free; and it was precisely his own freedom that the Brazilian Epicurean valued above all else. He had many titles and ranks, but the most important one sounded like this: «the literary Pelé». And in Brazil, that is the highest honor.
Jorge Amado wrote about 30 novels, translated into 50 languages. More than 30 films were made based on his books, and even popular Brazilian TV series around the world began with his characters.
«The Shop of Miracles» is what Amado called one of his most significant novels; a shop of miracles was also his entire life. The novel is written in the genre of magical realism, and it appeared earlier than the most famous work in this genre—«One Hundred Years of Solitude» by Gabriel García Márquez.