I can recall only one instance of a greater impact on contemporary Brazilian literature than that produced by the books of Guimarães Rosa: the publication of Gilberto Freyre's Casa Grande e Senzala (The Masters and the Slaves) in 1933. The repercussion of the Pernambucan sociologist's book was felt throughout Brazil. Moreover, it became the point of departure for a group of novelists who found their inspiration in the drama of the people and the land of Brazil. (p. vii)

Guimarães Rosa made his appearance on the literary scene … with a book of short stories, Sagarana. He and his fellow trailblazers represent the second generation, whose themes reflect that upsurge in their country's development set off by the Revolution of 1930, an upsurge which has been in the nature of an ascending spiral…. The movement was characterized by a determined and highly controversial effort to give new forms to...