Quebrângulo, 1892 – Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), 1953
By Flávio Aguiar
The work of the Alagoan writer gained significance in the history of Brazilian literature as it introduced notable innovations regarding aesthetics and narrative style, “feeding the imagination through memory,” as Antonio Candido states. This is evident in his critical assessment of Brazil’s history, particularly in Memórias do Cárcere (1953), a powerful account of the ten months he spent in prison without the right to testify, between 1936 and 1937, under an unexplained accusation of subversion. Months later, he published his second book, Angústia (1936), for which he received the Lima Barreto Prize.
Since the debut of his literary career with the novel Caetés (1933), the focus of his work has been on a wretched Northeast, characterized by a harsh landscape shaped by the geography of the region, where social precariousness reflects the social geography defined by class inequality. To develop narratives that ideologically aim to reveal human disparities, the Alagoan writer employed an aseptic, concise, and precise language, dissolving any rhetorical excess—traits that draw parallels between his work and that of the Mexican Juan Rulfo.
He joined the Brazilian Communist Party in 1945 and visited several countries in the former Soviet Union. The result of this experience is documented in his memoir Viagem (1954). Vidas Secas (1938) was chosen by the William Faulkner Foundation as the representative work of contemporary Brazilian literature in 1962. Graciliano balanced his literary writing with journalistic interventions in various publications. He also served as the mayor of Palmeira dos Índios (1928) in Alagoas. His works include Insônia (1947), which collects short stories; Infância (1945) and Linhas Tortas (1962), which are memoirs. He dedicated himself to children’s literature and received a prize from the Ministry of Education for his book A Terra dos Meninos Pelados, published in 1944.
Known as Mestre Graça among friends and leftist intellectuals, such as Jorge Amado, José Lins do Rego, Aníbal Machado, and Rachel de Queiroz, he shared the novel Brandão entre o Mar e o Amor (1942) with this group. He also worked as a translator (his translation of La Peste by Albert Camus was published in 1950). Other notable works include São Bernardo (1938) and Viventes das Alagoas (1962).
