Carolina only got to attend school for two years in Sacramento, Minas Gerais, where she had been born poor in 1914. At the age of fourteen, after the death of her mother, she moved to São Paulo. Being self-taught, people found it strange that a humble woman knew how to think and write on her own. Some conservatives even accused her of “witchcraft”.

She survived as a scavenger. Her first “own house” was made from collected rubble. From the trash she also rescued books and notebooks which she used as input for her writings.

In 1960, with the help of journalist Audálio Dantas, Carolina launched her memoir, Quarto de despejo which proved to be a complete success. The book sold more than 1 million copies in thirteen languages. Admiration abroad came before that of Brazil when it became an obligatory reference for Black Studies in the United States before being recognised by Brazilian universities.

Where Carolina lived, the reception of her writing was also poor. Some of the neighbours didn’t like what she had revealed about the favela. Before being called a witch, she was almost stoned.

Her memoir inspired the character, Precious, in the book Push by American writer Ramona Lofton, published in 1966. Ramona says she is “shocked to hear that Brazilians say they have never heard of Carolina de Jesus or her book.”

Her little recognition did not last. 1964 saw the installation of the military dictatorship. Afraid of censorship, publishers stopped publishing her book. She died in 1977 and was forgotten, being better known abroad than in Brazil. The only woman of Carolina’s three children, Vera Eunice is now dedicated to preserving her mother’s memory.