Rui Castro is celebrated for his immersive approach to historical reconstruction and biographical works. His writing delves into rich detail, bringing past eras and figures to life with remarkable vividness. Castro focuses on what animated his subjects and events, penetrating to the heart of Brazilian culture and history. His literary journey offers readers a captivating look into the fascinating characters and formative moments of Brazil's past.
In the opening three minutes - 'the greatest three minutes in the history of football' - one man wrote himself into the record books alongside the game's greatest players, men like Pele, Di Stefano, Puskas and Maradona.
Bossa nova is one of the most popular musical genres in the world. Songs such as "The Girl from Ipanema" (the fifth most frequently played song in the world), "The Waters of March" and "Desafinado" are known around the world. Bossa Nova, a number-one bestseller when originally published in Brazil as Chega de saudade, is a definitive history of this seductive music. Based on extensive interviews with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, and all the major musicians and their friends, Bossa Nova explains how a handful of Rio de Janeiro teenagers changed the face of popular culture around the world. Now, in this outstanding translation, the full flavor of Ruy Castro wisecracking, chatty Portuguese comes through in a feast of detail. Along the way he introduces a cast of unforgettable characters who turned Gilberto's singular vision into the sound of a generation.