Sergeant Getulio

Joao Ubaldo Ribeiro was born in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil. He has an M.A. degree in political science, but has been mostly involved in journalism. He lives on his native island of Itaparica, near Salvador, where he is the editor in chief of the Tribuna da Bahia. He writes weekly columns for Istoe magazine, as well as fiction. Vivo o Povo Brasileiro (1971), his last novel, was well received by the critics and public alike. Sergeant Getulio (1971) is like an epic journey through the sertoes, the backlands of Euclydes da Cunha's classic account. Getulio, a police officer, is a prototype of the antihero of the Brazilian Northeast---a brutish, cruel man guided by a primitive sense of honor: "Overriding in violence . . . is the memorable portrait of the hero-narrator" (Chicago Tribune). "Getulio will offend everyone and yet take most readers prisoner and carry them all the way to the explosive conclusion of his journey" (Los Angeles Times). 020