Cristais em chamas

"Encyclopedic narrative presents a panoramic view of the miserable life endured by the garimpeiros (seekers of gold and precious stones) in the backlands of Brazil. Includes stories, legends, narratives, chronicles, and religious sermons that circulate among the workers. Though of interest for the contrasts between the beauty of the gems and the poverty of the hunters, and between the applications of quartz for the comfort of part of the society and the backward lifestyle of the poor, novel is encumbered by an excessive representation of regional oral literature"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.