A number of Cultural Centers place particular focus on libraries, and the open dissemination and exploration of literary works.

Rio has spawned sensational figures in national literature, amongst which include Machado de Assis, whose masterpieces include, Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas' (1881) (The posthumous memories of Brás Cubas), 'Quincas Borba' (1891) and 'Dom Casmurro' (1899), and the Brazilian journalist and sociologist Euclides da Cunha (1866 - 1909).

Literature, reading and language have played a fundamental role in the development of the city's consciousness, challenging old ideas, playing with established practices and creating new lenses through which to view the world.