Pedra Canga

Pedra Canga, a small and isolated community in the Brazilian Pantanal, or wetlands, endures amid poverty, myth, and superstition. Dreaming and suffering, the simple townspeople exist in the mystical reality of their private universe. With insight and humor the novel tells of the ultimate vindication of these humble folk against a powerful and demonic family that has long oppressed them. Filled with magical events, diabolic storms, and visions both frightening and angelical, this is a wonderfully imaginative work, reminding one of the best of Sought American magic realism.

Tereza Albues was born in a small village in Mato Grosso, Brazil. She has lived in the United States for 16 years. In 1999 she was one of five winners of the Guimarães Rosa short story competition in Paris, sponsored by Radio France International.

Translator Clifford E. Landers is Professor of political science at New Jersey City University. His translations from Brazilian Portuguese include novels by Rubem Fonseca, Jorge Amado, Jô Soares, Chico Buarque, Paulo Coelho, and José de Alencar, as well as short fiction by Lima Barreto, Osman Lins, and Rachel de Queiroz.