Made in João Cabral de Melo Neto's private press in 1949, Pátria Minha is what was called a plaquete (or plaquette) at the time. The publication is based on a single, long poem by Vinicius. Friends since 1942, when Vinicius visited Recife with Waldo Frank, the two Itamaraty employees corresponded frequently at that time. It was the period when Vinicius was still in Los Angeles and João Cabral in Barcelona. It was from the poem sent to João Cabral for reading that he had the impulse to make 50 copies of the poem by hand, in his home press and publisher known under the label O Livro Inconsúntil.
The book was a surprise for Vinicius, with whom Cabral left all the copies. In a letter written in October 1949, the poet-editor says in a p.s. to his friend from Rio that: “I did not distribute the book to anyone. Do it as you please. And send me one with a dedication.”
