Machado de Assis was born in 1839 of mixed race, an epileptic with little formal education. Yet from these humble origins he went on to become Brazil\u2019s greatest writer - the \u2018Charles Dickens\u2019 of Rio de Janeiro. Juliana Iootty of the BBC Brazilian Service goes out onto the streets of Rio to discover what the people of this vibrant and colourful city make of their literary star.