PJ Caldas

PJ Caldas, known in his home country as PJ Pereira, was picked by the Dictionary of Brazilian Literature as one of the most important writers of the XXI century. There, he published four books inspired by the mythology carried to the country by the African diaspora. Despite being “non-traditional” for the editorial standards in the country, he reached the top five best-selling titles multiple times, often as the highest ranked Brazilian in the list.

He started his career as a computer programer, but it was as an entertainment and advertising executive that he reached international recognition. He’s won hundreds of awards, including an Emmy for Innovation in Storytelling for his web series The Beauty Inside. Another project worth noting is the feature film Lo and Behold, The Reveries of the Connected World, directed by the legendary Werner Herzog and produced by PJ’s company Pereira O’Dell — a project that heavily influenced the story in his upcoming book, The Girl from Wudang.

PJ Caldas is also an avid martial artist with 40 years of experience in combat sports, most of that dedicated to Shaolin Kempo, Wing Chun, and Karate, in which he holds his black belts. But he's also experimented with Tai Chi, Aikido, Judo, Capoeira, Silat, Boxing, Muay Thai, Philipino knife fighting… While researching his next book, he grew interested in grappling again and reconnected with his Rio de Janeiro roots by enrolling in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in New York, in which he currently holds a purple belt.

PJ lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, with his son, wife and a golden retriever named Zeus.