''City of God'' ( pt, Cidade de Deus) is a 1997 semi-

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Bec ...

Paulo Lins Paulo is a Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, and Italian masculine given name equivalent to English Paul. Notable people with the name include: * Paulo Jr. *Paulo Jr. (footballer) * Paulo Almeida, Brazilian footballer * Paulo André Cren Benini (born ...

, about three young men and their lives in Cidade de Deus, a ''

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

'' in Western

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

where Lins grew up. It is the only novel by Lins that has been published. It took Lins 8 years to complete the book. The novel was hailed by critics as one of the greatest works of contemporary Brazilian literature. It was made into a feature film of the same name in 2002, which went on to be nominated for four

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. An English translation of the book was published in 2006. Thanks to the international recognition of the film, the book continued to be translated into several more languages, including Italian, French, Spanish and German.

Title

The book is named after the favela in which the novel takes place, Cidade de Deus. Cidade de Deus was established in 1960 in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro as part of a government strategy to systematically move favelas away from the city centre and relocate inhabitants to the suburbs.

Synopsis

''City of God'' is set in a city renowned for its natural beauty. The novel follows the lives of gangsters and petty criminals living in the favela. The novel is set from the 1960s through to the 1980s. In the beginning, delinquents make money through hold-ups. In the 1970s, cocaine arrives and takes its place in the criminals' lives, both dealing and consuming vast amounts. Drug lords use their wealth to buy guns, which give them more power. Conflicts over who controls the drug trade in the favela result in gang wars. Written laws do not apply; power is held by criminals and drug lords who rule the favela. The poorly paid police monitor the gangs, not for the sake of public safety, but to ensure their corrupt income from the gangs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:City Of God (Novel) 1997 novels Brazilian bildungsromans Brazilian autobiographical novels Brazilian crime novels Brazilian novels adapted into films Novels set in Rio de Janeiro (city) Works about organized crime in Brazil