Description
Esau and Jacob is the last of Machado de Assis's four great novels. At one level it is the story of twin brothers in love with the same woman and her inability to choose between them. At another level, it is the story of Brazil itself, caught between the traditional and the modern, and between the monarchical and republican ideals. Instead of a heroic biblical fable, Machado de Assis gives us a story of the petty squabbles, conflicting ambitions, doubts, and insecurities that are part of the human condition.
About the Author
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908), the descendent of African slaves, is considered one of the greatest Latin American authors of the last century. His novels include The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, and Dom Casmurro. Dain Borges is a Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego and is author of The Family in Bahia. Carlos Felipe Moises is a Brazilian poet and literary critic. Elizabeth Lowe is the author of The City in Brazilian Literature. She lives in Gainesville, FL.
Reviews
"Like Balzac's Human Comedy, Machado de Assis's major novels provide readers with a social physiognomy--a map of surface phenomena that indicate deeper cultural meaning....This fresh translation, sponsored by the Library of Latin America, will hopefully attract new readers to one of the great 19th-century novelists."--Publisher's Weekly
"A fascinating 1904 novel, the last of the Brazilian master's (1839-1908) four acknowledged masterpieces....It's an overtly allegorical tale, set in Rio de Janeiro and environs near the end of the 19th century and at the time when Brazil's monarchy is being displaced by a republican government....Machado encapsulates his country's conflicted momentum toward modernity....Oxford's Library series now has all of Machado's major fiction available in authoritative new translations. All hail this bounty, and grateful thanks for it."--Kirkus Reviews
"In superbly funny books, [Machado] described the abnormalities of alienation, perversion, domination, cruelty and madness. He deconstructed empire with a thoroughness and an esthetic equilibrium that place him in a class by himself."--K. David Jackson, The New York Times Book Review
"Machado de Assis is Brazil's greatest novelist, and ranks high among the most appealing writers in the world.... Though he lived mainly in the 19th century, Machado possesses an almost postmodern sensibility--playful, ironic and tricky."--Washington Post Book World
Book Information
ISBN 9780195108118
Author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 345g
Dimensions(mm) 139mm * 207mm * 20mm
About the Author
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908), the descendent of African slaves, is considered one of the greatest Latin American authors of the last century. His novels include The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, and Dom Casmurro. Dain Borges is a Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego and is author of The Family in Bahia. Carlos Felipe Moises is a Brazilian poet and literary critic. Elizabeth Lowe is the author of The City in Brazilian Literature. She lives in Gainesville, FL.
Reviews
"Like Balzac's Human Comedy, Machado de Assis's major novels provide readers with a social physiognomy--a map of surface phenomena that indicate deeper cultural meaning....This fresh translation, sponsored by the Library of Latin America, will hopefully attract new readers to one of the great 19th-century novelists."--Publisher's Weekly
"A fascinating 1904 novel, the last of the Brazilian master's (1839-1908) four acknowledged masterpieces....It's an overtly allegorical tale, set in Rio de Janeiro and environs near the end of the 19th century and at the time when Brazil's monarchy is being displaced by a republican government....Machado encapsulates his country's conflicted momentum toward modernity....Oxford's Library series now has all of Machado's major fiction available in authoritative new translations. All hail this bounty, and grateful thanks for it."--Kirkus Reviews
"In superbly funny books, [Machado] described the abnormalities of alienation, perversion, domination, cruelty and madness. He deconstructed empire with a thoroughness and an esthetic equilibrium that place him in a class by himself."--K. David Jackson, The New York Times Book Review
"Machado de Assis is Brazil's greatest novelist, and ranks high among the most appealing writers in the world.... Though he lived mainly in the 19th century, Machado possesses an almost postmodern sensibility--playful, ironic and tricky."--Washington Post Book World
Book Information
ISBN 9780195108118
Author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 345g
Dimensions(mm) 139mm * 207mm * 20mm
