The stories in this volume reflect Machado's post-1880 emphasis on social satire and experimentation in psychological realism. The modem Brazilian short story begins with the mature work of Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908), acclaimed almost unanimously as Brazil's greatest writer. Collecti[...]

Featuring ten stories never before translated, dating from 1878--1886, his most radically experimental period, this selection of short fiction by Brazil's greatest author ranges in tone from elegiac to philosophical to impishly ironic. Including Machado's classic essay on world literature -- also ap[...]