Books by Machado de Assis
Epitaph of a Small Winner: A Novel (FSG Classics)
In these memoirs, Braz Cubas, a wealthy nineteenth-century Brazilian, examines (from beyond the grave) his rather undistinguished life in 160 short chapters that are filled with philosophical digressions and exuberant insights. A clear forerunner of Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges, Epitaph for a Small Winner, first published in 1880, is one of the wittiest self-portraits in literary history as well as "one of the masterpieces of Brazilian literature" (Salman Rushdie).
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Dom Casmurro: A Novel (FSG Classics)
First published in 1900, Dom Casmurro, widely considered Machado de Assis's greatest novel and a classic of Brazilian literature, is a brilliant retelling of the classic adultery tale―a sad and darkly comic novel about love and the corrosive power of jealousy.
Bento Santiago, the wildly unreliable narrator of Dom Casmurro, believes that he has been cuckolded―he suspects that his wife has cheated on him with his best friend and that her child is not his. Has Capitú, his love since childhood, really been unfaithful to him? Or is the evidence of her betrayal merely the product of a paranoid mind?
"Deftly translated, Dom Casmurro is a book full of humor, sweetness and a tender melancholy--a book that deserves to be read." - Publishers Weekly
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The Alienist (The Art of the Novella)
A classic work of literature by “the greatest author ever produced in Latin America.” (Susan Sontag)
Brilliant physician Simão Bacamarte sacrifices a prestigious career to return home and dedicate himself to the budding field of psychology. Bacamarte opens the first asylum in Brazil hoping to crown himself and his hometown with “imperishable laurels.” But the doctor begins to see signs of insanity in more and more of his neighbors. . . .
With dark humor and sparse prose, The Alienist lets the reader ponder who is really crazy.
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This is a Hybrid Book.
Melville House HybridBooks combine print and digital media into an enhanced reading experience by including with each title additional curated material called Illuminations — maps, photographs, illustrations, and further writing about the author and the book.
The Melville House Illuminations are free with the purchase of any title in the HybridBook series, no matter the format.
Purchasers of the print version can obtain the Illuminations for a given title simply by scanning the QR code found in the back of each book, or by following the url also given in the back of the print book, then downloading the Illumination in whatever format works best for you.
Purchasers of the digital version receive the appropriate Illuminations automatically as part of the ebook edition.
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Quincas Borba
Along with The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas and Dom Casmurro, Quincas Borba is one of Machado de Assis' major works and indeed one of the major works of nineteenth century fiction. With his uncannily postmodern sensibility, his delicious wit, and his keen insight into the political and social complexities of the Brazilian Empire, Machado opens a fascinating world to English speaking readers.
When the mad philosopher Quincas Borba dies, he leaves to his friend Rubião the entirety of his wealth and property, with a single stipulation: Rubião must take care of Quincas Borba's dog, who is also named Quincas Borba, and who may indeed have assumed the soul of the dead philosopher. Flush with his newfound wealth, Rubião heads for Rio de Janeiro and plunges headlong into a world where fantasy and reality become increasingly difficult to keep separate. Brilliantly translated by Gregory Rabassa, Quincas Borba is a masterful satire not only on life in Imperial Brazil but the human condition itself.
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A Very Brazilian Christmas The Greatest Brazilian Holiday Stories of All Time
by Paulo Coelho, Clarice Lispector, Machado de Assis, Moacyr Scliar, Bruna Dantas Lobato, Victor Heringer, Mário de Andrade, Lygia Fagundes Telles
A literary celebration of Christmas south of the equator where the holiday falls during the Brazilian summer and festivities are punctuated by the rhythms of surf and samba. Including works by classic and contemporary authors, this bountiful, surprising anthology features a potent mix of familial feasts, poetry, the peal of church bells, Midnight Masses, and U.S. expatriates flirting at parties in Rio de Janeiro. With writings by Machado de Assis, Mário de Andrade, Clarice Lispector, Paulo Coelho, Graciliano Ramos, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Moacyr Scliar, Rubem Braga, Victor Heringer, Bruna Dantas Lobato, and more.
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