REVISAR NELLY. CORRECTO

I wonder: is he as obsessed with aging and death as he appears to be? Reading this after Dom Casmurro makes me wonder. I read the translation by William Grossman made in the 1950s: the first translation of Machado de Assis into English. It takes a little getting used to and I’m not sure whether I would have preferred Jull Costa’s brand-new one. That said, I found the end a bit…deflating. I have to admit that the book--generally acknowledged as one of his masterpieces--fell a bit short for me. I enjoy reading him for his observations, especially on relationships between people, but the end just didn't impress me...sorta the same way I felt about Dom Casmurro. Not sure which of his works I will take on next, but I’m glad I have a number of books (not to mention his stories) still ahead of me. A distinctive voice, that’s for sure. ( )

Delightful, strange book that I really liked. Written by a great 19th century Brazilian author, it purports to be written from the grave by a wealthy man who looks askance at his behavior while alive. It is interesting, insightful & delightful. ( )

Reason Read; Reading 1001, TBR takedown, TIOLI #10
This is a 19th century work by Machado de Assis, a Brazilian author. It is set in Rio. It is a Brazilian Classic. Bras Cubas is writing this from the grave, thus it is the posthumous memoir.
Brás Cubas dedicates his book: "To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs". The characters include Bras Cuba who is a man who is mediocre and fails to accomplish anything. He dies of pneumonia; a normal death, a normal life. He wishes to be famous but never achieves it. There is romance and a love triangle with Virgilia, wife of Lobo Neves.
"The Plaster," the narrator describes the sublime idea that hopped into his head while walking, the invention of "an anti-hypochondriacal plaster destined to alleviate our melancholy humanity." (this is desire for greatness; for vain glory. There are hippos, Pandora, etc. Many, many short chapters. Bras Cuba sees the reader as the villian. he states that "the greatest defect is you" (the reader).
There is a lot in this short little book; comedy of manners, romance, storytelling, playfulness, and death. Borba, the friend, is promoting Humanatism. In one scene, Bras Cubas is walking in the area where slaves were formerly sold. He sees his free slave beating a slave. Overall, Bras Cubas never marries, never gets a political post and dies in mediocrity. It is the second that I've read by this author. I read Dom Casmurro which I gave 5 stars. Machado's Bras Cubas shares similarities with Tristam Shandy (Stern). The addressing the reader in the story is not a new or even a post meta device because it can be found in books such as Don Quixote where the characters are aware that they are characters in the first book, in Vanity Fair where Thackery makes many references to the author. Realism is the style of the 19th century novel of which this has its origin but it does not read like a typical realism novel. I enjoyed it. ( )

witty, funny, brisk, ingenious, and weirdly relatable. i did not quite like the main character's character. he's self-centered and strikes me as lazy and borderline delusional. but he feels like a very real person living in his times. the social commentaries on slavery and the morality of the privileged were almost subtle, but always striking. i think it deserves a more critical reading than i did. ( )