Marcos Vinicius de Moraes was a Brazilian poet and diplomat who wrote lyrics that became central to bossa nova. He worked with composer Antonio Carlos Jobim in the 1940s, and together they wrote songs like 'Garota de Ipanema' ('The Girl from Ipanema') and 'Chega de Saudade' ('No More Blues').
He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1913, and his father was a music critic. In the 1930s, he started writing for an experimental theater group called Os Comediantes. Some of his songs in English translation include 'My Heart Is Crying For You' and 'After I Dreamed With You'.
Moraes faced censorship and spent time in exile because of his criticism of Brazil's political regime. He kept writing through it, and his lyrics mixed joy with a kind of quiet melancholy that fit the bossa nova sound.
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