Brazil Week: Book Club

Join Dr Courtney Campbell, Lecturer in Latin American History and Nadia Kerecuk from the British Embassy as they lead an open and lively discussion on the book Os Sertões (translated as Rebellion in the Backlands) by the Brazilian author Euclides da Cunha.

Euclides da Cunha was born 20th January, 1866 in Cantagalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was a Brazilian journalist, sociologist and engineer. His most important work is Os Sertões (Rebellion in the Backlands), a non-fictional account of the military expeditions promoted by the Brazilian government against the rebellious village of Canudos, known as the War of Canudos.

Mixing science and literature, the author narrates the story of a war that happened in the end of the 19th century, in Canudos, a settlement of Bahia's Sertão ("backland"), an extremely arid region where, even now, struggles against poverty, drought and political corruption continue. During the war (1893–1897) against the republican army, the sertanejos (inhabitants of the backlands) were commanded by a messianic leader called Antonio Conselheiro. Euclides da Cunha was heavily influenced by Naturalism and its Darwinian proponents.

Book Group Leads

• Dr Courtney Campbell, Lecturer in Latin American History, University of Birmingham

• Nadia Kerecuk, Convenor of the Brazilian Bilingual Book Club, Brazil Embassy, London

This is an event open to all but will be of particular interest to those interested in Brazilian literature. We invite all attendees to read the book in advance! Don't miss out so do register today as numbers are limited to 20. A buffet with refreshments will be provided.