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Ariano Suassuna
Ariano Suassuna (1927-2014) was a playwright and author from the state of Pernambuco. One of Brazil’s most important dramatists, his works evoke the religious plays of medieval Europe, the theater of the Spanish Renaissance, and the Italian commedia dell’arte that, combined with the folklore of the Brazilian Northeast, create a unique national literature. His trilogy of historical novels is based on backlands traditions.
Auto da Compadecida (1956; The Rogue’s Trial, 1963) mixes Christian traditions with popular religion of the Northeast in a comic drama that addresses Brazilian social and political themes. In this excerpt the two bandit rogues, Severino and Johnny Cricket, face Jesus (Manuel) and the Devil (Old Nick) in accounting for their life of crime. Our Lady of Mercy intercedes and Jesus sends them off to heaven.