In the late 19th century, in the impoverished lands of northeastern Brazil, the spark of the harangues of the Counselor, a messianic and enigmatic figure, will ignite the insurrection of the disinherited. In extreme circumstances such as these, the achievement of vital dignity can only come from religious exaltation - the fanatical conviction of the divine election of the marginalized of the world - and from the radical breaking of the rules that govern the world of the powerful. Thus, groups of miserable people will heed the call of the revolution of Canudos, the city where this community of characters will settle, characters that will hardly disappear from the reader's imagination: the Beatito, the Lion of Natuba, María Quadrado... Faced with all of them, a political-military plot is articulated to stop with all its force the movement that threatens to expand. The first novel that Mario Vargas Llosa set outside of Peru is a prodigy of expression of deep mentalities, of irrational passions and unbridled social forces. A thoroughly documented account, both through readings and trips on the ground where this historical event took place. A fundamental book in the literary history of the 20th century.
In the late 19th century, in the impoverished lands of northeastern Brazil, the spark of the harangues of the Counselor, a messianic and enigmatic figure, will ignite the insurrection of the disinherited. In extreme circumstances such as these, the achievement of vital dignity can only come from religious exaltation - the fanatical conviction of the divine election of the marginalized of the world - and from the radical breaking of the rules that govern the world of the powerful. Thus, groups of miserable people will heed the call of the revolution of Canudos, the city where this community of characters will settle, characters that will hardly disappear from the reader's imagination: the Beatito, the Lion of Natuba, María Quadrado... Faced with all of them, a political-military plot is articulated to stop with all its force the movement that threatens to expand. The first novel that Mario Vargas Llosa set outside of Peru is a prodigy of expression of deep mentalities, of irrational passions and unbridled social forces. A thoroughly documented account, both through readings and trips on the ground where this historical event took place. A fundamental book in the literary history of the 20th century.