Great reading that provides a sense of the city, from the Traveler online Ultimate Travel Library.
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Philosopher or Dog?, by Machado de Assis; translation by Clothilde Wilson (1992)
Originally published in 1891, the story of a man who inherits a fortune and a dog, before leaving the countryside for Rio de Janeiro, the capital of imperial Brazil.
Samba, by Alma Guillermoprieto (1990)
Carnival-time Rio in 1988, the centennial of the abolition of slavery in Brazil. The author spent a year in the Mangueira favela, and joined its famous samba school.
Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World, by Ruy Castro (2000)
Brazilian music’s golden era; includes a myth-busting account of composer Antonio Carlos “Tom” Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes’s penning of signature Rio beach anthem, “The Girl from Ipanema.”
The Silence of the Rain, by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza (2002)
Rio de Janeiro detective noir. Spawned a series: December Heat (2003), Southwesterly Wind (2004), A Window in Copacabana (2004), and Pursuit (2006)—all set in Rio.
Garrincha: The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil’s Forgotten Footballing Hero, by Ruy Castro (2004)
A flawed soccer hero leads Brazil to two World Cup championships before dying of alcoholism. Passion, betrayal, and soccer magic—with Maracanã stadium as center stage.
Rio de Janeiro: Carnival Under Fire, by Ruy Castro (2004)
Part of the Writer and the City series, an account of cannibals and intellectuals; slaves and masters; baroque churches and shopping malls; samba and the Sambódromo.
