Still small, he went to Sao Luis, to enter primary education at Colégio São Luís and, later, at secondary school, at Liceu Maranhense.
[2] Initially, his plans were to move to Rio de Janeiro to finish college, but he joined the Carioca Bohemian life, a characteristic feature of most Brazilian intellectuals at the time.
[2] João Ribeiro was a fierce critic of the collection, believing that the title of Arab inspiration did not match the sertanejo tales included there.
He has contributed, over the years, to several newspapers, such as Jornal do Brasil, Correio da Manhã, as well as magazines such as A Noite Ilustrada and O Tico-Tico.
He ended up moving away from politics in 1930 when he was arrested by the 1930 Revolution and went on to literature, where he wrote novels, plays, children's books and historical chronicles.