Born in 1968 in Araci, in the interior of Bahia, he majored in journalism and then did post-graduate work in labor law. His two books, Câmara e cadeia (City Hall and Jail) (2004) and O encourado (The Man in Leather) (2009), deal with themes like apocalypse and vampires. Carvalho shows he has literary qualities that can be honed with time. The talent in his initial lines suggests he is an author who knows about the possible risks involved and is not intimidated by them.

His novel Céus e terra (Heaven and Earth) (Record) was the winner of the SESC Prize for Literature in 2016 in the novels category and the 2017 São Paulo Prize for Literature in the over 40 Debut Author category. Céus e terra is a result of his research on the death penalty for a master’s degree in anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA).

The book tells the story of three deaths that occurred in 1974: a gypsy, a boy and a farmer. The boy, Galego, son of a very humble family, is accidentally beheaded right at the beginning of the book; later on we discover that this little departed spirit is the narrator of the entire story. With no pity about his own death or any suffering at all, the cub ghost keeps up with the life of the city: the restaurant that opens in the old mansion, goings on in the barber shop and pharmacy, the death of the inhabitants, the weddings, the arrival and departure of the circus.