Grande Sertão: Veredas

Grande Sertão: Veredas is not only a great novel, it's one of the masterpieces of fiction in Portuguese language. Guimarães Rosa is a Brazilian writer that always not only tried to tell a story but also to work with language, that's why often he's compared to James Joyce. Even so, Rosa's universe is at the same time very Brazilian and universal, he confirms the quotation: Talk about your village and you'll talk about the world. His short stories (Primeiras estórias, Sagarana, Tutaméia, Corpo de baile, Estas estórias) and the only novel he wrote (Grande Sertão: Veredas) talks about the deep Brazil that's not in postcards or on TV. It's very difficult to "adapt" this novel to an audiovisual narrative, because Rosa works with language and all its possibilits, making a very poetic literature. Even so, Avancini and Durst were able to recreate Rosa's universe and try to tell with images, dialogues and music what this writer from Minas Gerais did with words. It's one of the best TV series producted in Brazil. It's a pity we can't find it in DVD...

Of course Grande Sertão-Veredas is a great novel on Brazilian TV. Great artists and a good story. Tony Ramos, Tarcisio Meira and Bruna Lombardi are very good on this novel. The story is about two groups of "Jagunços", who were enemies. The story is very regional and it happens in a poor region of Brazil, at the beginning of the twentieth century. But people could see a marvelous work through Maria Zenaide, a Brazilian actress, from Pernambuco State. Her performance always makes deep feelings on people who are watching her. Maria Zenaide is also a good singer and people can see her on theater singing with her group called Avelloz, with others: Teresa Carvalho and Will Tom, good singers and Chagas, Jorge Som and others musicians.