Brazilian poet and lyricist whose best known song was “A Garota de Ipanema” (“The Girl From Ipanema”), which he cowrote with the composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. (Jobim, Antonio Carlos)

The author of numerous volumes of lyrical poetry, Vinícius began his literary career as an adherent of the Brazilian Modernism in vogue around 1930. A period of studying English literature at the University of Oxford and residence in the United States as vice-consul of Brazil in Los Angeles (1947–50) broadened the scope of his verse, which was further enriched by his interest in theatre and the film industry. The result was a gradual movement away from poetic experimentation and toward an increasingly prosaic treatment of everyday themes with the sensuous lyricism that became his hallmark.

In the 1960s Morais joined with younger musicians in forming the bossa nova style, incorporating elements of Brazilian samba and international jazz. His later years involved intense musical collaboration and a prolific outpouring of popular song lyrics. His theatrical libretto Orfeu da Conceição (1956) formed the basis of the prizewinning film Orfeu negro (1958; Black Orpheus).