Captains of the Sands
SynopsisPlot
They call themselves “Captains of the Sands,” a gang of orphans and runaways who live by their wits and daring in the torrid slums and sleazy back alleys of Bahia. Led by fifteen-year-old “Bullet,” the band—including a crafty liar named “Legless,” the intellectual “Professor,” and the sexually precocious “Cat”—pulls off heists and escapades against the right and privileged of Brazil. But when a public outcry demands the capture of the “little criminals,” the fate of these children becomes a poignant, intensely moving drama of love and freedom in a shackled land.
Story
About this book
Captains of the Sands is a novel by Jorge Amado set in the Brazilian city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia state. It follows a group of orphaned and abandoned boys who survive on the streets, sleeping in an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront and stealing to feed themselves. The group is led by a fifteen-year-old called Bullet, and its members include Professor, a boy who reads and draws; Legless, a cunning manipulator; and Cat, known for his early romantic pursuits. Together they carry out robberies and schemes targeting the wealthier classes of the city.
The novel opens with a series of fictional newspaper articles, letters, and official statements that frame the public debate around these children. Authorities and citizens argue over what should be done about the so-called little criminals, while the narrative that follows gives the boys their own voices and histories. Amado uses this structure to contrast how the city talks about street children with how they actually live.
Originally published in 1937, the book was written during a period when Amado was politically active and living in Salvador. The story examines class division, institutional neglect, and the limited choices available to children growing up without family support in a deeply unequal society.
