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Start discussion here for Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis.

About the Book (from americanliterature.com)

Dom Casmurro (1899) is considered Assis's masterpiece of literary Realism, in which he expertly employs the technique of The Unreliable Narrator. It is a fictional memoir of a jealous, vengeful husband with many references to William Shakespeare's plays, rich in themes of betrayal and deception.


About the Author

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908), better known as Machado de Assis, was a Brazilian short story writer, poet, and novelist considered the most influential writer of Brazilian literary schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exemplary of Realism. The theme of many of his stories centers around jealousy and its intrigue. Though he did not gain popularity outside Brazil during his lifetime, the most prestigious literary award in Brazil was named in his honor, influencing authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Susan Sontag and Thomas McGuane.

Assis was born in Rio de Janeiro to a father who was a wall painter and son of a slave, and a mother who was an Azorean Portuguese washerwoman. He attended public school, but was not a very good student, and learned Latin from Father Silveira Sarmento. Assis's first job was as a proofreader for the newspaper Correio Mercantil, after which he worked for several other papers with mentor editors who encouraged him to write. He started publishing his poetry, leading an extremely modest existence. He became a bureaucrat at the department of agriculture and published two poetry collections, which met a very weak reception. He turned to writing novels, praised for their skeptical and realistic tone. Memoirs of Brás Cubas (known by its translated title as Epitaph of a Small Winner) was published posthumously and is widely considered a masterpiece.

Assis was multilingual, self-taught in four more languages beyond Portuguese and Latin: English, German, French, and Greek. His greatest influences from English literature included Lord Byron, Jonathan Swift, and most significantly, William Shakespeare, whose works he translated and referenced in many of his own works. French realists who influenced his work included Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert and Émile Zola. Assis was a strong supporter of theater and wrote many plays, as well as several intriguing short stories, that artfully blend many cultural and linguistic elements, adding to his work's appeal.

Questions coming soon

I read this book a year ago and found it intriguing and enjoyable.

Having just finished this I almost want to go back and reexamine the developing relationship between Bentinho and Capitu. A very telling comment early on is made by the narrator (in his final phase as "Dom Casmurro") about how it would be better to read Othello in reverse going from the remorse, the suspicion back to the happier beginnings. However in his case was there a happy beginning to the relationship?

This is one of my favorite books ever. I am currently reading another of his books, which is just as awesome.

Which one are you reading,Diane? I read The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas not that long ago. Another good one.

Rosemarie wrote: "Which one are you reading,Diane? I read The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas not that long ago. Another good one."

That's the one I'm reading. I am loving it. His language is very relatable and personable. It makes his books seem more current than they actually are.

The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (or Epitaph of a Small Winner) seems to have made a big impact on Brazilian literature/culture. Both Brazilian books I have read this year have made reference to Bras Cubas explicitly or implicitly. Machado de Assis was a great writer!

I have never read this author, and have wanted to for some time, so I'm looking forward to this one. Probably starting this weekend.

Carol wrote: "I have never read this author, and have wanted to for some time, so I'm looking forward to this one. Probably starting this weekend."

I think you will really enjoy it.

I seem to be in the minority here. I just didn't "get" this novel. But I seem to have this problem with a lot of novels translated from Portuguese (other examples are The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo, A General Theory of Oblivion, The Book of Chameleons, A River Called Time...).

However, I'm seriously considering to read Epitaph of a Small Winner since it was translated by Gregory Rabassa, the same man who translated most of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novels, which I love. Rabassa didn't translate Dom Casmurro that was translated by Helen Cladwell instead.

Missy J wrote: "I seem to be in the minority here. I just didn't "get" this novel. But I seem to have this problem with a lot of novels translated from Portuguese (other examples are [book:The Last Will & Testamen..."

I'm in the minority with you. I was bored by the story and I don't know if it was the translation or the author's style. I may try something else by him someday to see if it is de Assis's writing that I don't like, but I would probably need a different translator just to be sure.

I was bored, too. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did.

This book was just not fun for me. I really wonder if a lot was lost in translation. The protagonist seemed very self-obsessed. He basically had no viewpoints or insights into others. Everything was about him and his perception of life events, and nothing more. And the endings was just so sad for him and for anyone who has ever loved him. He is not worth the love that others give him. It's not a figure anyone would like to emulate.

I read the book in Portuguese. It took me a long time but I am glad I made the effort, since I could see how it would lose something in translation.
The main character was completely clueless and it was easy to see why he got his nickname, since he didn't trust his wife or his friend.
I think Casmurro means something like Grumpy Old Man.

This is my second time reading this. I liked it the first time, enjoyed it more the second time. Dom Casmurro is the ultimate unreliable narrator: he knows it, and he makes sure that you know it, too. Oddly enough, even though Capitu plays such a huge rôle in the story, and is the love of the narrator's life, I never really got the feeling of who she was as a person; seeing her through the narrator's eyes was like looking through layers of gauze.