Luís da Câmara Cascudo

Who was Luís da Câmara Cascudo?

Luís da Câmara Cascudo was a Brazilian anthropologist, folklorist, journalist, historian, lawyer, and lexicographer.

He was born in Natal, Northeast Brazil. He lived his entire life in Natal and dedicated himself to the study of Brazilian culture and he was a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The institute of anthropology there now bears his name.

As a researcher into the manifestations of the Brazilian cultures, he left behind an extensive body of work, including the Dictionary of Brazilian Folklore. Among his best-known works are Alma patrícia, Traditional Tales of Brazil. His studies of the period of the Dutch invasions of Brazil led to the publication of his Geography of Dutch Brazil. His memoirs, Time and I were edited posthumously.

He was once nearly fired for studying folkloric figures such as the werewolf.

Câmara Cascudo wrote 31 books on Brazilian folklore, over 8000 pages. He has done the most extensive work on Brazilian folklore so far, with notable quality, and he has received recognition for it.