Itamar Vieira Júnior's 'Crooked Plow' Novel Translated to English, Exploring Brazil's Rural Inequities

Itamar Vieira Júnior's 2018 novel 'Crooked Plow,' newly translated by Johnny Lorenz and published by Verso, examines Brazil's persistent social dysfunction through the lives of Afro-Brazilian sisters Bibiana and Belonísia. The story begins with a childhood accident involving a knife that leaves one sister mute, an event that shapes their relationship as they navigate life on a Bahia plantation. Their family's existence reflects generations of exploitation, living in a mud house in exchange for unpaid field labor despite being three generations removed from slavery. Vieira Júnior draws from his fifteen-year experience at INCRA, Brazil's rural land-reform agency, to depict the struggles of quilombo descendants and rural communities. The narrative follows Bibiana's political awakening and Belonísia's troubled marriage, portraying characters with agency and complexity rather than mere victimhood. Their father serves as a Jarê healer, while their mother works as a midwife, highlighting community roles within Afro-Brazilian traditions. The novel's later sections address criminal parastates and blurred lines between legitimate power and gang violence, mirroring broader national crises. Unlike much Brazilian literature focusing on urban poverty, 'Crooked Plow' centers rural experiences while carrying echoes of Jorge Amado's Bahia-inspired modernism. The translation makes this award-winning work accessible to English readers, priced at £10.99 in softcover.