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Loading... Counselor Ayres' Memorial (1908)by Machado de Assis
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Speaking of elegies, this is his last work, written four years after the death of his wife and published the year he died. It is filled with reminiscences, with the valedictory observations of an old man. A bit melancholy, a bit ordinary in the largely unoriginal observations but nevertheless a pleasure to read for all that. A simple story, told as a series of diary entries, it’s a quick and easy read and worth the time. Although it’s not among his greatest works, he’s such a great writer that you can overlook its flaws and read it for the modest pleasures that it brings. ( ) Memorial de Aires apresenta um enredo narrado pelo Conselheiro Aires, que remonta em um diário os anos de 1888 e 1889, em que viveu como um diplomata idoso e aposentado no Rio de Janeiro. Com várias observações argutas em suas memĂłrias, Aires chega a enganar e confundir os leitores. Nas páginas de Memorial de Aires sĂŁo apresentadas pessoas com quem o narrador conviveu, citações de leituras e obras que leu quando era diplomata e reflexões sobre fatos passados que ocorreram na polĂtica. Uma das principais personagens descritas por Aires Ă© FidĂ©lia, moça mais jovem por quem ele se interessou. Devido Ă idade avançada, Aires nunca revelou seu amor Ă FidĂ©lia, considerada uma filha para o casal Dona Carmo e Aguiar, que nĂŁo pode ter filhos. In fact if it really was a tear, it was so fleeting that by the time I was aware of it no longer existed. All is transient in this world If my eyes were not so bad I'd set about composing another Ecclesiastes, a modern version, even though after that book nothing can be considered modern. He said that there was nothing new under the sun, and if there wasn't then, there wasn't before and never will be again. Everything is contradictory as well as confused. The Wager is comprised of the journal entries of a widower, a retired diplomat returning to Brazil from a career spent in the capitols of Europe. Hs entries contrast with what he purports to say publicly. This creates an interesting tension. The title arrives in a challenge between he and his sister about the fate of a young widow. One should not harbor images of [b:Dangerous Liaisons|49540|Dangerous Liaisons|Pierre Choderlos de Laclos|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1298425654s/49540.jpg|3280025] as this is something placid. It isn't epistolary like de Laclos, though similar passing comments are extended to peasants, in this case newly freed slaves. There is a remarkable poise to this work. The diarist remains rather self critical, especially in regards to how matters should be represented. I admired that. He complains and admits to being petulant, he ascribes such to being afforded a childhood, free from having to carry things. The song Silent Boatmen by Parliament arrived on my shuffle yesterday while I was driving home. This unexpected statement fell into accord with the whispered core of The Wager. I must warn thee, the conclusion isn't for the meek. no reviews | add a review
"A small masterwork, freshly translated , by one of the great novelists of the 19th century. A retired Brazilian diplomat (Ayres) recounts the love affair of a young widow who would rather be faithful to her dead Romeo. How she rejoins the world of the living, rekindling Ayres' spirit as well, is told with muted allusions to Brazil's plantation life and its emancipation of the slaves."--Chicago Tribune "This novel first appeared in 1908 , the year of Machado de Assi s' death . . It is a mild story, mildly told with a muted form of irony . . it is without self-pity, an elegiac book . . . unmistakably the work of a masterful writer."--Kirkus Reviews "Packed with wit, with compassion, with valiant self-knowledge. It is an experience I urge you to undertake."--Cleveland Plain Dealer "A novel as ironic as any of Machado's earlier fiction, but with a new sense of ripeness and tender regard for those whom life tries and tests. It is a last fitting monument to the art of Machado de Assis."--Nation. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)869.3Literature Spanish and Portuguese Portuguese Portuguese fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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