The LandIn The Land, Antônio Torres tells a universal story of tragic homecoming in a style that owes much to the popular cultural forms of his birthplace in Brazil's notoriously poor Backlands (Sertão). He uses snatches of song and prayer, rhyming jokes and fantasies, and the literatura de cordel (rope literature) - broadsheets telling of juicy local gossip, murders, laments, ghostly apparitions, sold in the marketplace hanging on strings of twine. All this tells the story of Nelo, who escapes from the empty drought-ridden farmland to Brazil's teeming cities, only to return home shattering everyone's dreams. First published to acclaim in 1976 as the erratic military censorship was on the wane, The Land now ranks in Brazil as a modern classic, available in English only from Readers International. |
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Common terms and phrases
Alagoinhas Alcino already answer Antônio Antônio Conselheiro arms Bahia Baianos bank brother Caboco church clothes coffin coming compadre cousin crazy cross Cruz daughters dead Devil door drink driver druggist everything eyes face farm father feel Feira de Santana girl glass going hair hands head hear heard hell Inhambupe inside Itaquera Junco kids kill knew Lampião land leave legs live Londrina look Mama manioc Mayor medical prescription Mestre Miguel Paulista mother mulungu Nelo never night Noemia old Jeremiah once oxcart Papa Paraguay Paraná Paulo Pedro Infante Petrobrás rain remember road Salvador São Paulo seemed sergeant sisal sleep square stopped street talk tell there's thing thought Tietê River told Totonhim town truck Uncle voice wait walked White-Socks wife woman women words Zuleide