He is the author of the work "Dialéctica de la Dependencia" (Dialectic of Dependency),[4] in which, using elements of the theory of economic development of Karl Marx adapted to the study of Latin American reality, he explains the necessity of overcoming the developmentalism of ECLAC.
He was an activist of the Revolutionary Left Movement of Chile, becoming a member of the Central Community in 1972 and director of his theoretical journal Marxismo y Revolución.
Born in Barbacena, Minas Gerais, he arrived in the city of Rio de Janeiro to study preparatory courses for medicine; however, he preferred personal independence, so he chose to dedicate himself to public service.
In 1953, he began studying law at the Faculty of National Jurisprudence, but he did not manage to complete his student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
He founded Política Operária (POLOP) with Moniz Bandeira and Theotônio dos Santos, a left-wing political organization against the guidelines of the Brazilian Communist Party.