A review by uhambe_nami
Grande Sertão: Veredas by João Guimarães Rosa

5.0

Grande Sertão is the story of Riobaldo, a jagunço, one of the many warriors that roamed the great plains of northeastern Brazil during the 19th and 20th century, dispersing justice where the government had no eyes or power. Wandering across the sertão with other jagunços, Riobaldo lived without a home, without relatives, without any clear direction, doubting God and the devil, doubting everything. There was only one thing he really cared for: his friendship with Diadorim, his fellow jagunço, his companion.

Riobaldo tells his story in one long monologue to an unnamed listener, and not in chronological order. Reading it requires patience and concentration, but what a story it is. Grande Sertão captures perfectly the wildness of the Brazilian Nordeste, the vastness of it, and the courage of its people. With this novel, Guimarães Rosa gave us a masterpiece.