journalist, novelist, and playwright whose novel O Guarani (1857; “The Guarani Indian”) initiated the vogue of the Brazilian Indianista novel (romantic tales of indigenous life incorporating vocabulary of Amerindian origin referring to flora, fauna, and tribal customs). O Guarani, which was subsequently utilized as the libretto for an opera in Italian by the Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes, depicts the platonic love affair of Perí, a noble savage, and Ceci, the white daughter of a wealthy landowner.

Like O Guarani, Alencar's novel Iracema (1865) achieved popularity. It tells the story of a mythical romance between the daughter of an Indian chief and a Portuguese adventurer. In O gaúcho (1870; “The Gaucho”) and O sertanejo (1876; “The Backlander”), Alencar treats life in Brazil's frontier lands. In novels such as Lucíola (1862), Diva (1864), and Senhora (1875), he laid the foundation for Brazilian psychological fiction. Alencar, who is considered the father of Brazilian fiction writing, also cultivated the historical novel in such works as As minas de prata (1862; “The Silver Mines”). His abolitionist stance is revealed in several plays, including Mãe (1860; “Mother”).

Alencar also was a lawyer, a deputy in the legislature, and minister of justice (1868–70).