Vidas Secas

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Vidas Secas (translated into English as Barren Lives) is a novel by twentieth-century Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos, written in 1938. It tells the cyclical story of a family of 5, a father, mother, 2 sons and their dog in the poverty stricken and arid Brazilian northeast. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the book is that it is written in said cyclical manner, being possible to read the first chapter as a continuation of the last chapter, reflecting the cycle of poverty and desolation in the Sertão.

It is often considered amongst the most important works in Brazilian literature, with a "dry", concise style of writing.

It was adapted into film by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, making a highly praised movie which would become a landmark for the Cinema Novo movement.