Moacyr Scliar

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Moacyr Jaime Scliar, a Brazilian writer and physician, was born in the Jewish quarter of Porto Alegre, in the Southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in 1937. He qualified in Medicine in 1962 and specialized in Public Health Medicine. In 1962, his first book Stories of a Doctor in Formation was published, although, later, after the printing, the writer regretted publishing it so soon in his life.

In 1968, after six years, his second book The Carnival of the Animals was published, and he has since published many more. He is currently one of Brazil’s most distinguished writers. Most of his writing centers on issues of Jewish identity in the Diaspora and particularly on being Jewish in Brazil. In a recent autobiographical piece, Scliar discusses his membership in the Jewish, medical, Gaucho, and Brazilian tribes. He was elected a life-time member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2003.

Scliar is also known for his book "Max and the Cats", whose premise was admittedly taken by Yann Martel for his own book "Life of Pi", although legal threats were retracted after the two met.