Monteiro Lobato

Monteiro Lobato
Lobato, c. 1920 at Companhia Editora Nacional
Lobato, c. 1920 at Companhia Editora Nacional
Born(1882-04-18)18 April 1882
Taubaté, Empire of Brazil
Died4 July 1948(1948-07-04) (aged 66)
São Paulo, Brazil
Pen nameMonteiro Lobato
OccupationNovelist, journalist, publisher
GenreFiction, Children's literature
Literary movementModernism
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José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato (Portuguese: [mõˈtejɾu loˈbatu]; 18 April 1882 – 4 July 1948) was one of Brazil's most influential writers, mostly for his children's books set in the fictional Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (Yellow Woodpecker Farm) but he had been previously a prolific writer of fiction, a translator and an art critic. He also founded one of Brazil's first publishing houses (Companhia Editora Nacional) and was a supporter of nationalism.

Lobato was born in Taubaté, São Paulo. He is best known for a set of educational but entertaining children's books, which comprise about half of his production. The other half, consisting of a number of novels and short tales for adult readers, was less popular but marked a watershed in Brazilian literature.