Jorge Barbosa was born in the city of Praia, on the island of Santiago, Portuguese Cape Verde archipelago (then a territory of Portugal). Soon after, he moved to the island of São Vicente, where he spent his early years on — excluding his years of study in Lisbon. He published his first work titled Arquipélago (Archipelago) in 1935 which opened its doors to modern Cape Verdean literature and later demonstrated a complete change in rhetoric and thematic poetry in Cape Verde, it formed one of the elements that led to the creation of the Claridade review a year after the publication of the book.
Jorge Barbosa was born in Praia on Santiago Island, part of Portuguese Cape Verde (then under Portuguese control). He soon moved to São Vicente where he spent his youth — excluding study periods in Lisbon. In 1935, he published Arquipélago, which initiated modern Cape Verdean literature and introduced a new poetic style and themes. This work also contributed to the creation of the Claridade review one year later.