It seems impossible for contemporary Brazilian literature not to have the tragic notes and gravity that it has historically lacked, now that the country has established itself as the world leader in homicides. To do otherwise would be a death knell for Brazilian literature. If, relatively speaking, Brazil was spared great tragedies in the past, reality is now imposing itself in the form of a humanitarian scandal, so violent that the writer can only consciously ignore it. And to ignore it, of course, would be to betray his profession.