On Earth As It Is Beneath - Brazilian Novel
It is a novel written by Brazilian writer Ana Paula Maia, considered as one of the distinctive voices in contemporary Brazilian fiction. The book has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026.
One of the reasons why I was tempted to read it is the name of the translator, Padma Viswanathan. I had earlier read her translation of another Brazilian novel "São Bernardo" by Graciliano Ramos. Padma herself is a writer besides being a translator.
The story of “On earth as it is beneath” is about a prison in a remote part of Brazil. The prisoners, condemned to this hell hole have no hope for release or life-after. The warden of the prison Melquiades follows a macabre ritual during full moon nights. He lets a prisoner escape and then chases and hunts him with his gun, killing without fail. He justifies this action to himself on the logic that the convicts who themselves had killed and committed horrible crimes deserving the deadly punishment. He had inherited this sadistic nature from his father who was a policeman and later turned into a free-lance killer.
It is a short novel but leaves a powerful impact on the reader. It is deeply unsettling with its raw description of violence, cruelty, and mental decay. I was relieved that it ended quickly in 106 pages.
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