José J. Veiga (1915-1999) was born on February 2, 1915 in Corumbá de Goiás. He moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he studied at the Faculdade Nacional de Direito. He was a commentator for the BBC in London, and he worked as a journalist for O Globo and Tribuna da Imprensa among other publications. At the age of 44, he began publishing literature with Os cavalinhos de Platiplanto. His books were translated in several countries, including Portugal, Spain, the United States, and England, and he was awarded the Machado de Assis Prize by the Academia Brasileira de Letras for his body of work. He died on September 19, 1999.