A selva

work by Ferreira de Castro

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July 13, 2026

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A selva is a novel by Portuguese writer José Maria Ferreira de Castro. Published in 1930, the novel draws heavily on Castro's experiences working on a rubber plantation in the Amazon rainforest. The book offers a vivid portrayal of the Portuguese emigrant experience and the complex relationships among rubber workers in the Brazilian jungle.1

The term "selva" itself is Spanish and Portuguese for "tropical rainforest". Ferreira de Castro's novel is considered a key work in Portuguese social-realist fiction, known for its detailed depiction of the exotic region and its human drama.21

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José Maria Ferreira de Castro
Two novels—Emigrantes (1928; “Emigrants”) and A selva (1930; “The Jungle,” translated into more than a dozen languages)—launched Ferreira de Castro’s literary career and offered an almost photographic portrayal of an exotic region and its human tensions and high drama.
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Two novels—Emigrantes (1928; “Emigrants”) and A selva (1930; “The Jungle,” translated into more than a dozen languages)—launched Ferreira de Castro’s literary career and offered an almost photographic portrayal of an exotic region and its human tensions and high drama.
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