José de Alencar Collected editions

José de Alencar (1829 – 1877) was a Brazilian novelist, lawyer, and politician whose novel Iracema is a landmark of Brazilian Romanticism. The lyrical story recounts the tragic romance between a Portuguese colonist and a native Tabajara woman, symbolizing the origins of the Brazilian people.

Alencar’s prose combines poetic imagery with themes of cultural encounter, national identity, and the natural beauty of Brazil.

Through Iracema, José de Alencar offered a foundational myth for a young nation, wrapped in the language of romance and nostalgia.