Vidas Secas

infobox Book |
name = Barren Lives
title_orig = Vidas Secas
translator =


image_caption =
author = Graciliano Ramos
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Brazil
language = Portuguese
series =
genre = Novel
publisher =
release_date = 1938
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by =

Vidas Secas (translated into English as "Barren Lives", although seca literally means dry) is a novel by twentieth-century Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos, written in 1938. It tells the cyclical story of a family of five: Fabiano, the father; Sinhá Vitória, the mother; two sons (just called boys) and their dog called Baleia (whale in Portuguese) in the poverty stricken and arid Brazilian northeast. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the book is that it is written in said cyclical manner, making it possible to read the first chapter as a continuation of the last chapter, reflecting the cycle of poverty and desolation in the Sertão. Another distinguishing characteristic is that the dog Baleia is considered the most sensible and human character.

It is often considered amongst the most important works in Brazilian literature, with a "dry", concise style of writing.Fact|date=February 2007

Film

"Vidas Secas" was adapted into a highly praised film by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, in 1963, [ [http://imdb.com/title/tt0057654/ Vidas Secas (1963) ] ] and would become a landmark for the Cinema Novo movement.

Footnotes