When he published Poems, sonnets and ballads, Vinícius was living in Los Angeles. He had taken on his first international diplomatic position and traveled with his family, already made up of his wife Tati, and his children Susana and Pedro. The poet had met Tati through a great friend of his, the architect and artist Carlos Leão. In the book, the poem “Balada do Cavalão” is conceived – or inspired – by visits that Vinícius made to Carlos' house in Morro do Cavalão, in Niterói.
It was precisely with Carlos that Vinícius wrote his book, in 1946. With 22 of his friend's drawings and 47 of his poems, the São Paulo publisher Gaveta, by painter Clóvis Graciano, launched a first edition with a small number of 372 copies – which transformed it into today a collector's rarity. The book is another step towards the popularization and public qualification of the mature and resourceful poet that Vinícius had become in recent years. After all, a book that opens with “Sonnet of Fidelity” and closes with “Sonnet of Separation” already showed its impact on the present and future of our poetry.
It is worth mentioning that, in 1974, the critic Afrânio Coutinho organized the Complete Poetry and Prose of Vinícius for the publisher Nova Aguilar and, with the author's agreement, named the same book as The Daily Meeting.
