“Macunaima, a hero who has no character” is the result of many years of research by the writer, poet, critic, one of the founders of Brazilian modernism, Mario Raul Morais de Andrade (1893–1945), who devoted his entire life to the renewal of Brazilian art and thinking. The main character of the novel, Makunaima, a representative of the Amazonian tribe Tapanyumas, wanders around the world in search of muirakitan - an amulet given to him by Xi, the Mother of the Forests. These searches are continually interrupted by various incidents reflecting the myths and legends of Brazil. The book combines different dialects, folklore, anthropology and mythology to synthesize Brazilian identity. However, there is also caustic criticism of “Brazilianness”. Macunaima is lazy, he cares only about sensual pleasures; he is at once Indian, black and white; all this is a metaphor for a people that is just being formed, and therefore has “no character.” Nevertheless, the character of Macunaima allowed Andrádi to do what Brazilian modernism so strived for - to establish an understanding, attentive dialogue between “high” and popular culture. This edition includes a detailed glossary and the Manifesto of the Anthropophagus by Oswald di Andrade.