Moacyr Scliar (1937–2011)
Author of The Centaur in the Garden
About the Author
Scliar was born and still lives in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A physician since 1962, Scliar started his career as a writer telling stories about his experiences as a young doctor. He is a prolific writer and has produced more than 10 novels, many of which have won literary prizes. He studied at show more the Yiddish College in Porto Alegre and went to a Catholic school for his secondary studies. This childhood experience provided the imaginative background for many of his stories. His writing has much of what he called "his Jewishness": "As much as possible I live in peace with my Jewishness. I have extracted from it what it has of the best: fantasy, ethical substance, and above all, humor" (Escrever & Viver). The Centaur in the Garden is a story about a centaur who is Brazilian and Jewish, a fantasy of the half-horse, half-human child who grows into adulthood in search of his identity. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: wikipedia
Works by Moacyr Scliar
O mistério da casa verde (Descobrindo os clássicos) (Portuguese Edition) (2000) 63 copies, 1 review
Histórias para (quase) todos os gostos (Coleção A leitura é uma aventura) (Portuguese Edition) (1998) 20 copies
Um olhar sobre a saúde pública 4 copies
SONHO DE UMA NOITE DE VERÃO 3 copies
Clara, violino e orquestra 2 copies
ARTE PARA CRIANÇAS LASAR SEGAL 2 copies
Era uma vez um conto 2 copies
MELHORES CONTOS 2 copies
deu no JORNAL 1 copy
Caminhos da esperança Vol II 1 copy
Conto - Oitenta 1 1 copy
os contistas 1 copy
La oreja de Van Gogh 1 copy
Era uma vez um conto 1 copy
Os Deuses de Raquel 1 copy
A balada do falso Messias 1 copy
Pipocas 1 copy
Era uma vez um conto 1 copy
Olhar de descoberta 1 copy
Pipocas 1 copy
BOA COMPANHIA 1 copy
PROSAS URBANAS 1 copy
Porto de Histórias 1 copy
VOZ DO POSTE 1 copy
Um seder para os nossos dias 1 copy
Uma escada para o sonho 1 copy
O Rio Grande Ferroupilha 1 copy
Carnaval Dos Animais, O 1 copy
Os voluntários 1 copy
O Anão no Televisor 1 copy
Pega pra Kapput! 1 copy
Leopardi Franze Kafky 1 copy
Centaurul din grădină 1 copy
Max și felinele 1 copy
Associated Works
A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America (1991) — Contributor — 161 copies, 3 reviews
Here I Am: Contemporary Jewish Stories from Around the World (1998) — Contributor — 56 copies, 1 review
With Signs & Wonders: An International Anthology of Jewish Fabulist Fiction (2001) — Contributor — 33 copies, 1 review
The Faber Book of Contemporary Latin American Short Stories (1989) — Contributor — 27 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Scliar, Moacyr
- Birthdate
- 1937-03-27
- Date of death
- 2011-02-27
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
- Occupations
- writer
physician - Organizations
- ABL
Academia Brasileira de Letras - Short biography
- Nascido em Porto Alegre, Moacyr Scliar é autor de mais de setenta livros, em vários gêneros: conto, romance, crônica e ensaio. Obras suas foram publicadas na Argentina, Colômbia, Venezuela, México, França, Alemanha, Espanha, Portugal, Inglaterra, Itália, Suécia, Noruega, Polônia, Bulgária, Estados Unidos, Canadá, Israel, Japão e outros países, com grande repercussão crítica. Recebeu vários prêmios, entre os quais: Prêmio Casa de Las Américas (1989), Prêmio José Lins do Rego, da Academia Brasileira de Letras (1998), Prêmio Jabuti (1988, 1993 e 2000, neste último ano, por A mulher que escreveu a Bíblia). Tem trabalhos adaptados para o cinema, tevê, teatro e rádio. É colunista dos Jornais Zero Hora (Porto Alegre) e Folha de S. Paulo. Foi professor-visitante nas Universidades de Brown e Austin. É médico, especializado em saúde pública, disciplina que leciona na Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre.Uma parte importante da ficção de Moacyr Scliar é dedicada à ficção juvenil. Interessa-lhe sobretudo o tema da relação entre pai e filho. Ao escrever para jovens, diz Scliar, "penso no leitor que eu fui em minha juventude e que procurava nos livros prazer, encanto e respostas para os problemas da vida. Espero que os leitores encontrem a mesma coisa em meus livros".
- Nationality
- Brazil
- Birthplace
- Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Places of residence
- Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Place of death
- Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Associated Place (for map)
- Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Members
Reviews
A forma com essa narrativa foi construída é verdadeiramente engenhosa podendo ser lida como sátira bíblica, sátira à terapia, como também uma sátira de costumes atualíssima. Muito me apetece um escritor que finge ser uma mulher que finge que seu terapeuta é o Rei Salomão e suas pacientes fazem parte de seu imenso harém numa verdadeira jornada através de metodologia terapeutica, tudo isso muito bem pontuado por agruras e linguagem contemporânea. Brilhante.
“Porque, como ele show more próprio, eu era uma vítima: vítima de meu pai, vítima de Salomão. Fechada naquele quarto, escrevendo um livro – era uma escrava do rei, ansiando por liberdade.
Eu era uma escrava? Foi a pergunta que me fiz naquele momento. Transcendente pergunta; dependendo da resposta que eu própria me desse teria de agir de diferentes maneiras. Eu era uma escrava? Estava eu submetida à vontade de Salomão?
Não. Eu não era uma escrava. Nem ansiava por liberdade. Se era em cativeiro que eu vivia, a este cativeiro eu me acostumara; mais que isso, fizera do projeto de Salomão o meu projeto. A vida fora ruim para mim? Talvez. Por não poucas humilhações passara, desde que chegara ao palácio. E se quisesse acusar Salomão por tais humilhações poderia fazê-lo.
Mas não o faria. Porque havia o texto, a história que eu estava escrevendo. E o texto me consolava, me amparava, dava sentido à minha existência. Através do texto eu podia me comunicar com Salomão. E não era uma mensagem de ódio que lhe transmitiria. Eu sabia que no fundo ele era um ser humano, uma pessoa como outra qualquer. Não era melhor do que ninguém – nem pior.” show less
“Porque, como ele show more próprio, eu era uma vítima: vítima de meu pai, vítima de Salomão. Fechada naquele quarto, escrevendo um livro – era uma escrava do rei, ansiando por liberdade.
Eu era uma escrava? Foi a pergunta que me fiz naquele momento. Transcendente pergunta; dependendo da resposta que eu própria me desse teria de agir de diferentes maneiras. Eu era uma escrava? Estava eu submetida à vontade de Salomão?
Não. Eu não era uma escrava. Nem ansiava por liberdade. Se era em cativeiro que eu vivia, a este cativeiro eu me acostumara; mais que isso, fizera do projeto de Salomão o meu projeto. A vida fora ruim para mim? Talvez. Por não poucas humilhações passara, desde que chegara ao palácio. E se quisesse acusar Salomão por tais humilhações poderia fazê-lo.
Mas não o faria. Porque havia o texto, a história que eu estava escrevendo. E o texto me consolava, me amparava, dava sentido à minha existência. Através do texto eu podia me comunicar com Salomão. E não era uma mensagem de ódio que lhe transmitiria. Eu sabia que no fundo ele era um ser humano, uma pessoa como outra qualquer. Não era melhor do que ninguém – nem pior.” show less
From a New York Times article on Brazilian novelist, short story writer and fabulist par excellence Moacyr Scliar (1937-2011): "He came to public attention with his second collection of short stories, “The Carnival of the Animals,” whose intertwining of allegory, fable, fantasy and folklore and Borges-like excursions into metafiction, marked him as a distinctive new fictional voice."
My goodness, what a collection - two dozen of some of the most inventive, magical short story blast-offs show more you will ever encounter. And all told in such an easy, breezy, fun-to-read style, like munching on peanuts, once you start, it's hard to stop. We read in one story how Barbara, a tall, blonde beautiful pilot has to crash land her Piper airplane in the desolate Bolivian plateau and, although she has plenty of gourmet foods, she refuses to give a crumb to her dark complexioned foster sister, Angelina. What is poor Angelina to do? Why, of course, after a few days of starvation, she begins to cut off and eat her own fingers. And that’s just for starters. In other stories, a sailor is stranded on a desert island with a cow; a miniature dog turns out to be the fiercest critter ever; and Captain Marvel lives in retirement as Zorro keeps receiving indecent letters from fans who have a fetish with anything beginning with the letter “Z.” Here are my write-ups of three other tales I hope will whet your appetite:
THE PHANTOM TRAIN
Nine-year-old Matias is diagnosed with leukemia and, through tears, his mother requests our ten-year-old narrator to please help grant what has always been Matias’ greatest wish: to take a ride on the Phantom Train. Since Matias can’t go to the amusement park, the narrator (let’s call him Pedro) figures he will help set up a custom-made Phantom Train right in the old mansion where Matias lives. To this end, Pedro takes a few spine-tingling rides at the amusement park and afterwards methodically jots down all the details complete with diagram. With the help of Matias’ family, he is able to buy the needed equipment and set up his version of Phantom Train.
The event takes place on an evening in July, 1956. A shivering Matias, so withered and small by now, is placed in a baby carriage. Pedro strolls him to the entrance hall of the mansion. All the lights go out, the signal to start: Pedro pushes the baby carriage down the hall at full speed, enters the drawing room where Matias’ mother, now a witch dressed in black, her face painted ghastly colors, a stuffed owl on her shoulder, invokes evil spirits. Pedro races Matias around the room a couple of times, the witch in full chase. Matias shrikes with fright and pleasure. Pedro moves to the old-fashion bathroom – Matias’ father is a dead man hanging from the shower head with a noose around his neck and his purplish blue tongue sticking out. Next, Pedro pushes Matias to a bedroom where Matias’ brother is a skeleton on the bed with chains in his boney hands. Then they quickly move to the den where Matias’ two sisters are stabbed in the chest and covered with blood.
Thus ends the Phantom Train. Exhausted, covered with sweat, Matias is lifted out of the carriage with utmost care and placed back in his bed. His parents cry softly; his mother wants to give Pedro some more money but the ten-year-old refuses. The story ends with Pedro telling us how Matias died two weeks after this event and that he himself has never ever taken another ride on the Phantom Train. I can believe it! Can you imagine setting up and participating in such a house of horrors with your nine-year-old son on the cusp of his premature death? If the Phantom Train was Matias’ greatest wish, too bad his parents didn’t ask him what would be his second choice.
THE FISHING TOURNAMENT
“An extremely unpleasant incident took place during the last fishing tournament on Joy Beach.” This tale begins on such an up note, such heaven on earth for fishermen in love with the sport of fishing: outstanding, eager participants, fantastic weather, and, most importantly, a lake full of fish. But this good luck took a decided turn when on the third day of the tournament a weird, gaudy wagon pulled up and an entire family of unruly, boisterous, coarse louts pile out - father, mother, many children all unpleasant as can be, especially the father with his bronze skin, evil black eyes, thick lips and gold-capped teeth, incapable of walking past a woman, young or old, married or single, without mouthing his crude jokes.
To top it off, the next morning, the father, this Antonio, without bothering to request permission, rolls up his pants and wades in the water right were the fishing lines are cast; he dips his arms into the water up to his elbows, utters some mysterious words and stands up, his arms full of fish! Well, the tournament participants complain to the officials. When Antonio and his loutish family merely scoff and laugh off these officials, the officials, outraged in the extreme, appeal to the head of the court. This head is a tall, nimble, energetic man who is overcome by righteous indignation. Sidebar: Anytime I hear the words "righteous indignation" I sense trouble, big trouble. It might be time for artists and writers to take cover, fast.
The court head, a man not of words but of action, announces to all, not to fret, he will take care of the problem. The next morning when the participants see Antonio come down to the river, he has not forearms and hands but two bloody stumps. The court head’s trusty fishing knife still works fine – he cut both of Antonio’s arms off. The story takes another unexpected twist. You will have read for yourself but with this tale we are well to remember Moacyr Scliar utilized symbol and allegory to outwit censors at the time of repression under the reigning military regime in Brazil.
THE AGING MARX
An absurdist romp where Karl Marx, having his belly full of theory, decides to enjoy the rest of his life and make some real money so he and his family can live well. What, you may ask, does Marx do to live out his dreams? Why, of course – he and his family take a boat to Brazil. A Jewish head of a furniture factory takes Marx on as manager and then the fun begins.
At one point, when he installs some creative initiatives as factory manager, we read: “Churchill was offering blood, sweat, and tears to the Englishmen. Marx had a loudspeaker system installed at the factory in order to broadcast patriotic, anthems as well as requests for increased productivity on the part of the workers. “London has been suffering bombings! And what about you, what have you been doing?” He was one of the very first entrepreneurs to invest in an advertising campaign. Thanks to his vision and other qualities, he made a lot of money.”
Yes, of course, in the author’s story Karl Marx lives during World War Two and has an opportunity to see his economic and philosophic theory in action. He also has an opportunity to keep an eye on one of his more pressing preoccupations: the number of toes he has on his left foot. Will he keep five? Or will he ultimately have only four or an added sixth? Moacyr Scliar plays with the ironies of history and the improbabilities of physiology as he addressed issues of oppression, persecution and the dynamic interplay of good and evil.
show less
The Enigmatic Eye by Moacyr Scliar is a collection of 26 short short stories, most stories just 3 or 4 pages long. The Brazilian author uses no fancy words or complex plots; rather, a reader will find straight-forward storytelling in everyday, informal language, so much so that it’s as if you are listening to your best friend tell you about a memorable happening as you share a cappuccino at your local coffee shop. But don’t be lured into thinking these stories lack depth; quite to the show more contrary, all 26 short-shorts could launch philosophical discussion, and herein lies their charm – wisdom of life and death presented in simple, accessible language.
Reading Moacyr Scliar is like listening to Mozart’s music, the sentences flow so easily, so smoothly; one is given the impression the author dashed off his stories in a few minutes, but I suspect this wasn’t always the case since such high quality literary writing takes time and effort. Here are two Scliar quotes on writing short stories: 1) “A short story is like this; it results from a sudden revelation, from an epiphany. It either succeeds or fails; and when it fails, it fails completely, irremediably.” 2)“Storytelling is an art that goes back a long way. We can imagine primitive men gathered around a fire in a cave. Outside, wild beasts prowl and a thousand dangers lie in wait, but it is not of dangers that they are thinking because someone is telling a story, and the story has the magic power of performing tricks with reality, of transporting listeners, or readers, to another world, at times wonderful, at time frightening, but always different.”
To provide a taste of what delight and charm a reader will discover in this collection, I offer the following on six stories:
Five Anarchists
A king imprisons five anarchists in a common prison cell, providing the five men five rolls and five mugs of water each day. After the first month, there’s a change: four rolls and four mugs of water. The anarchists deal with the reduction until they are forced to take extreme action. On the fortieth day the prisoners are given only three rolls and three mugs of water. More extreme action is courageously taken. And so it continues in this rhythm right up to the end of the story when there is an unexpected twist; one might say a cruel, regal twist.
The Prodigal Uncle
What does it mean to be part of a family? What is the nature of love? What is the nature of loyalty? How much value should we place on honesty? We find out how a wealthy entrepreneur uncle, by his actions, answers all these questions in his dealings with a young man claiming to be his nephew.
Burning Angels
What is an angel? The main character sees angels sitting in the small room he uses as a photographer’s studio. We read, “Angles begin to flutter around the candle. Diminutive, they are not more than two centimeters tall. It would be really difficult to fit them into the same category of the celestial creatures who, to the right and to the left of God, intone hosannas. It is well known, however, that when it comes to angels, there’s room for a great diversity in appearances, besides, their tiny white cotton robes and the lyres they carry affixed to their backs are unmistakable. Angles, yes. Miniature angels, but angels nevertheless.” Wait a minute! Is he really looking at angels or has he done something whacky with flying beetles?
Life and Death of a Terrorist
An futurist-absurdist tale where the first-person narrator and a man named Walter participate in trench warfare the way urban office workers go back and forth to a humdrum 9 to 5 office job. At one point, the narrator shares a slice of his experience: “The morning went by serenely, somebody from our side fired a shot, somebody from the other side fired back, and that was all. At noon we were served lunch.” Upon returning home the narrator and his wife do some serious cross-country cycling, on exercise bikes, that is. Goodness. What is the world coming to?
Genesis
A four-year old little girl asks her father how she was born. The father tells her in a matter-of-fact tone that after wishing, with her mother, for a little girl, he felt something strange on his back: a lump, something that looked like a mole. Then, over the weeks, the lump or mole continued growing until it was the size of a ball. He went to the doctor and had an X ray. The X ray, he tells her, revealed a tiny creature inside. When the ball became bigger it popped and out she came. ------ A reader can only imagine what effects such a tale had on this little girl!
The Enigmatic Eye
A most imaginative tale of a wealthy old man who becomes infatuated with a portrait of an aristocratic gentleman in the town's museum. And what makes this portrait so infatuating? Why, of course - the gaze of the right eye, which is truly enigmatic. The old man has his close friend steal the portrait from the museum so he can put it in his attic and sit in front of the painting, pondering the enigmatic gaze round the clock. The servants think the old man mad but he could care less - he has exactly what he wants - the portrait with its enigmatic eye right in his very own attic. Unfortunately, something unexpected happens. Due to the attic's heat and light, the painting begins to fade and then, over time, vanishes. The old man concludes there is only one thing for him to do - he buys some brushes and oils and begins re-painting the portrait, starting with the enigmatic eye. show less
From a New York Times article on Brazilian novelist, short story writer and fabulist par excellence Moacyr Scliar (1937-2011): "He came to public attention with his second collection of short stories, “The Carnival of the Animals,” whose intertwining of allegory, fable, fantasy and folklore and Borges-like excursions into metafiction, marked him as a distinctive new fictional voice."
My goodness, what a collection - two dozen of some of the most inventive, magical short story blast-offs show more you will ever encounter. And all told in such an easy, breezy, fun-to-read style, like munching on peanuts, once you start, it's hard to stop. We read in one story how Barbara, a tall, blonde beautiful pilot has to crash land her Piper airplane in the desolate Bolivian plateau and, although she has plenty of gourmet foods, she refuses to give a crumb to her dark complexioned foster sister, Angelina. What is poor Angelina to do? Why, of course, after a few days of starvation, she begins to cut off and eat her own fingers. And that’s just for starters. In other stories, a sailor is stranded on a desert island with a cow; a miniature dog turns out to be the fiercest critter ever; and Captain Marvel lives in retirement as Zorro keeps receiving indecent letters from fans who have a fetish with anything beginning with the letter “Z.” Here are my write-ups of three other tales I hope will whet your appetite:
THE PHANTOM TRAIN
Nine-year-old Matias is diagnosed with leukemia and, through tears, his mother requests our ten-year-old narrator to please help grant what has always been Matias’ greatest wish: to take a ride on the Phantom Train. Since Matias can’t go to the amusement park, the narrator (let’s call him Pedro) figures he will help set up a custom-made Phantom Train right in the old mansion where Matias lives. To this end, Pedro takes a few spine-tingling rides at the amusement park and afterwards methodically jots down all the details complete with diagram. With the help of Matias’ family, he is able to buy the needed equipment and set up his version of Phantom Train.
The event takes place on an evening in July, 1956. A shivering Matias, so withered and small by now, is placed in a baby carriage. Pedro strolls him to the entrance hall of the mansion. All the lights go out, the signal to start: Pedro pushes the baby carriage down the hall at full speed, enters the drawing room where Matias’ mother, now a witch dressed in black, her face painted ghastly colors, a stuffed owl on her shoulder, invokes evil spirits. Pedro races Matias around the room a couple of times, the witch in full chase. Matias shrikes with fright and pleasure. Pedro moves to the old-fashion bathroom – Matias’ father is a dead man hanging from the shower head with a noose around his neck and his purplish blue tongue sticking out. Next, Pedro pushes Matias to a bedroom where Matias’ brother is a skeleton on the bed with chains in his boney hands. Then they quickly move to the den where Matias’ two sisters are stabbed in the chest and covered with blood.
Thus ends the Phantom Train. Exhausted, covered with sweat, Matias is lifted out of the carriage with utmost care and placed back in his bed. His parents cry softly; his mother wants to give Pedro some more money but the ten-year-old refuses. The story ends with Pedro telling us how Matias died two weeks after this event and that he himself has never ever taken another ride on the Phantom Train. I can believe it! Can you imagine setting up and participating in such a house of horrors with your nine-year-old son on the cusp of his premature death? If the Phantom Train was Matias’ greatest wish, too bad his parents didn’t ask him what would be his second choice.
THE FISHING TOURNAMENT
“An extremely unpleasant incident took place during the last fishing tournament on Joy Beach.” This tale begins on such an up note, such heaven on earth for fishermen in love with the sport of fishing: outstanding, eager participants, fantastic weather, and, most importantly, a lake full of fish. But this good luck took a decided turn when on the third day of the tournament a weird, gaudy wagon pulled up and an entire family of unruly, boisterous, coarse louts pile out - father, mother, many children all unpleasant as can be, especially the father with his bronze skin, evil black eyes, thick lips and gold-capped teeth, incapable of walking past a woman, young or old, married or single, without mouthing his crude jokes.
To top it off, the next morning, the father, this Antonio, without bothering to request permission, rolls up his pants and wades in the water right were the fishing lines are cast; he dips his arms into the water up to his elbows, utters some mysterious words and stands up, his arms full of fish! Well, the tournament participants complain to the officials. When Antonio and his loutish family merely scoff and laugh off these officials, the officials, outraged in the extreme, appeal to the head of the court. This head is a tall, nimble, energetic man who is overcome by righteous indignation. Sidebar: Anytime I hear the words "righteous indignation" I sense trouble, big trouble. It might be time for artists and writers to take cover, fast.
The court head, a man not of words but of action, announces to all, not to fret, he will take care of the problem. The next morning when the participants see Antonio come down to the river, he has not forearms and hands but two bloody stumps. The court head’s trusty fishing knife still works fine – he cut both of Antonio’s arms off. The story takes another unexpected twist. You will have read for yourself but with this tale we are well to remember Moacyr Scliar utilized symbol and allegory to outwit censors at the time of repression under the reigning military regime in Brazil.
THE AGING MARX
An absurdist romp where Karl Marx, having his belly full of theory, decides to enjoy the rest of his life and make some real money so he and his family can live well. What, you may ask, does Marx do to live out his dreams? Why, of course – he and his family take a boat to Brazil. A Jewish head of a furniture factory takes Marx on as manager and then the fun begins.
At one point, when he installs some creative initiatives as factory manager, we read: “Churchill was offering blood, sweat, and tears to the Englishmen. Marx had a loudspeaker system installed at the factory in order to broadcast patriotic, anthems as well as requests for increased productivity on the part of the workers. “London has been suffering bombings! And what about you, what have you been doing?” He was one of the very first entrepreneurs to invest in an advertising campaign. Thanks to his vision and other qualities, he made a lot of money.”
Yes, of course, in the author’s story Karl Marx lives during World War Two and has an opportunity to see his economic and philosophic theory in action. He also has an opportunity to keep an eye on one of his more pressing preoccupations: the number of toes he has on his left foot. Will he keep five? Or will he ultimately have only four or an added sixth? Moacyr Scliar plays with the ironies of history and the improbabilities of physiology as he addressed issues of oppression, persecution and the dynamic interplay of good and evil.
show less
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