Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Hi,

It's a pleasure to leaf through this book, its coments, the movies' posters and photos, but I have to tell you it's wrong about brazilian literature: there is no coments about Machado de Assis, the brazilian best writer ever, but there are three Paulo Coelho's books. Paulo Coelho writes only cheap filosofy...
best regards
Marcus

Thank you Marcus for offering another author to explore other than Coelho. I wonder if Coelho is simply translated and promoted whereas other Brazilian works have not been? Yet another reason that this book is JUST a book and not the MUST read it claims to give us.

Marcus -- I've just searched out some books by the author you recommended -- but do you have favorites of his or books you would tell a new reader to read first? The best works or those which are held in highest regard or use whatever criteria you wish -- just to give me some guidance.

Machado de Assis is a fantastic author! I've read both Quincas Borba and The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, both of which are distinctly great books. I would start with Quincas Borba if you get a chance, Dottie.

Thanks, Mike. I have three Machado De Assis books from the library and they do have both of those you mention as well so I'll likely try those next time.

The Hand & the Glove was the second of Machado De Assis' books to be published and is a slender bit of psychology of love with three suitors using different approaches for also admittedly different motives in wooing one young lady and one and only one succeeds of course. Not for everyone, I'm sure as the language usage shows its age and the cultural differences as well, I think. I rather liked it however and am currently reading the next to the last of Machado De Assis' books and have the final book at hand to read once I finish Esau and Jacob.

Esau and Jacob has been a bit slow beginning but I'm now involved in it and finding it humorous and intriguing -- I think the end result will be a pretty interesting reading experience.

Just realized this thread really belongs in the AUTHOR folder not this folder but I hadn't noticed until now.

I moved it for you. =)

Thanks for getting this into the proper spot, Kim.


I finished Esau and Jacob and also read Machado De Assis' last book Counselor Ayres' Memorial. I must admit that while the style seemed too old-fashioned for me to recommend these at my first encounter that by the time I made my way thorugh the three books I read -- I am a total fan of this author. I am planning to read the other novels which along with the three I read are supposed to provide a prolonged story with many of the same characters in roles in each of the five books. Truthfully? I may just get really dogged about the whole thing and find anything and everything I can find which has been translated and read them all -- that's how much I've enjoyed these.

On the other hand -- while Coelho's The Alchemist was a good enough reading experience, it just didn't resonate with me as it did with most people. I think it had to do with where I was in my own life at the time I read it. But if I'm to choose Coelho or Machado De Assis as a Brazilian author to recommend -- it won't be Coelho -- no offense intended at all -- just my preference.

Hear hear, Dottie. I'm glad you've enjoyed him so much! I only really discovered him last year, myself and have still only read the two that I've mentioned. Of the ones you've read now, which is you're favorite? I'll have to expand my Machado catalog.

Difficult question as the three books are somewhat tied together as I learned through reading the intros. I would say Counselor Ayres' Memorial as Couselor Ayres is a bit of the author himself from what I understand.

Having said that though I think my best recommendation would be to read the last five books Machado De Assis wrote -- the five which in one of the intros I mentioned above were cited as tied together by the characters and which as a unit tell a loosely integrated story. I got the impression that these five books were laced with auto-biographical details.

I think this is a technique he often uses. Bras Cubas is a character (in two respects) in Quincas Borba, thus making them a loosely tied story together, as well.

I'll just keep on reading his books as they come to me.

I love read Machado de Assis, for me he is the best Brazillian Author, his books was written by him in the realism time, and he often criticizes the society way of life, he is pessimist, sarcastic. In some parts of the book he talks with readers, telling them bad personal charecteristics of the character. Well, to him humans don't have salvation, that's why I love him, because he often says we are lost even if we try to be good.

Man...you sound awesome. Wanna be buds?

Machado de Assis is by far the best Brazilian Author. I honestly have no idea what the heck Paulo Coelho is doing on that list. The most reasonable explanation I've got so far is that the critics who made it at some point got drunk and decided to put it in as a joke, lol.
But seriously, jokes aside, Machado de Asiss should totally be on that list. For anyone who's going to start reading his works, I would recommend his "Realist Trilogy", Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, Quincas Borba, and Dom Casmurro (my personal favorite =])

Hi, I am from Brazil, and I can recommend great authors and books from Brazilian Literature. Definitely, nobody can beat Machado de Assis with his accurate description and satiric take on Brazilian society in the second half of the 19th century. He had two phases. At the beginning of his career, he wrote novels with Romantic characteristics, finally making his masterpieces with Realist characteristics. Memorias Postumas de Bras Cubas is my favorite, but you can read a number of his short stories in free sites online. I will search some and post it here later.

I stumbled across Epitaph for a Small Winner about a year ago and was impressed. I haven't read any of his other works. Anybody read that one? How does it stack up to his other works?