Guerra Conjugal

by Dalton Trevisan

Trinta contos curtos em que todos os homens são chamados de João e todas as mulheres recebem o nome de Maria. Os personagens são representados com um humor ácido, sarcasmo, uma ironia que já começa nos próprios títulos dos textos como, por exemplo, "Grávida porém Virgem", "Tentações de uma Pobre Senhora e "Agonias de Virgem".

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Dalton Jérson Trevisan was a Brazilian author of short stories. He was described as an "acclaimed short-story chronicler of lower-class mores and popular dramas." Trevisan won the 2012 Prémio Camões, the leading Portuguese-language author prize, valued at €100,000.

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

We can take joy in the above photo of a beautiful young couple sharing a tender moment while taking a walk on the outskirts of Curitiba, Brazil, hometown for short story writer extraordinaire Dalton Trevisan. With any luck they will avoid appearing as characters in a story included in the maestro's Guerra Conjugal (The Conjual War).

It's war! Dalton Trevisan offers many brutal slices of married life unfolding in Curitiba's poorer neighborhoods, an entire string of Joãos and Marias locked in the eternal dance of what it means to be joined together as a couple.

To share a more specific feel for the snappers in Guerra Conjugal, here's the opening paragraph for four stories followed by my write-up of a tale containing special power:

DEAR HUSBAND
João was married to Maria and they lived in a two-room shack in Juvevê: the street was muddy and he didn't want the lady to wet her little feet. João's defect was being too good - he gave her everything she asked for.

THE PERFECT CRIME
At eleven o'clock at night João raised his eyes in front of his brother's house and saw the light on the veranda - a sign that his sister-in-law hadn't come home....The brother went ahead and with pain in his heart, João noticed that he was dragging his feet along the rug - there he was, a poor old man. In the white-tiled kitchen André turned around and the other observed with a start his disfigured face, blue wrinkles, the right eye bloodshot.

THIRTY-SEVEN NIGHTS OF PASSION
João was unsuccessful on the first night. In tears he confessed to his wife that he was a virgin boy and his failure was from loving her so much. Maria gave him all her tenderness for a whole month - and nothing happened. She loved him too and hoped he would get over his emotional collapse. As far as innocence allowed her, she collaborated in all ways - and nothing happened. Not one time could the boy overcome his inhibitions. He failed from the first to the last experience, egg yolks in white wine was a failure. A month later João was still a virgin, the same as the poor girl.

THIS BED WHICH IS MINE WHICH IS THINE
Every time João comes for her, before giving herself, Maria makes him ask for her forgiveness. Married for seven years, every time João desires her, she comes with the condition of a fur coat or gold earring.

SKINNED ALIVE
Dramatic opening, anyone? Dalton starts his story off thusly:

After an argument with his wife, João left the house.
"Why don't you stick a knife in my back once and for all? No, you're too perverse. Cut a little piece out every day, enough to draw blood without making the victim bleed too much. Every day, with cruel elaboration, you take off another chunk of skin. Look at me, you murderess - I'm all raw flesh, my whole body skinned!"

João's first days living in a nearby cheap hotel are sheer bliss - none of Maria's hairs in the wash basin, no loose bobby pins on the cabinet, no looking at his wife with her head full of colored rollers as if she were a modern day version of Medusa. And thank goodness they have no children.

João's first nights are equally delightful: no need to grind one's teeth or tense one's face thinking of all the unspeakable tortures he was subjected to that day, tortures Maria devised just for him. Nor having to put up with listening as Maria tears into another piece of toast with strawberry jam on it - in bed, in the middle of the night!

However, João blames himself each time he thinks of Maria sitting alone in their house. João sinks further and further into a pool of guilt until he immediately snaps out of it when he recalls Maria's bold announcement to their close circle of friends: "In my opinion, João is nothing but an elegant swine!"

In the ensuing days, João muses on the good life, that is, a life Maria-free: wearing pajamas all day on Sunday, zoning out and watching TV sitcoms, scratching his belly any time he feels like it; hell, João thinks he could keep the good life going right up until his peaceful old age, days filled with watering house plants and working out the weekly crossword puzzle.

But, alas, even the good, steady life can turn boring. João starts hitting the dives and quickly discovers cheap liquor and vulgar women (even more vulgar than Maria!) is simply not his scene. João moves from his hotel room to a nice furnished apartment in a quiet neighborhood. João quickly acclimates to the coziness by taking up his old hobby of stamp collecting.

Then one day while entering a neighborhood coffee shop, João runs into Maria. Only a quick glance but he can see clearly she's slimmer and prettier - even some weight off her now attractive ass. All this doesn't surprise João since, after all, separated women enjoy fixing themselves up.

A few more emotionally charged scenes and Dalton Trevisan has João take decisive action. Apologies for what could be considered a spoiler but I wanted to share the author's final heart-wrenching sentence: "A few days later João went back home and was unhappy forever."
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*Note - For readers of English: a number of stories from The Conjugal War can be found in Dalton Trevisan's The Vampire of Curitiba published by Alfred Knopf.


Brazilian author Dalton Trevisan, born 1925

[Leila Silva Terlinchamp]

A Guerra Conjugal é uma reunião de trinta contos curtos (não tão curtos quanto os últimos contos ou micro contos de D. Trevisan) em que todos os personagens principais se chamam João e Maria. Todos os joões médios são representados nestas páginas (assim como todas as Marias), é o João que ama a Maria que ama José ou que não ama ninguém, mas se casa assim mesmo por dinheiro ou estabilidade. É o João que se casa com Maria mas ama o Pedro e não pode aceitar esse amor. É a maria que se casa com João só para humilhá-lo, é o João impotente que faz a Maria pagar pela sua incapacidade externando a violência...é o João bom demais, capaz de reinterpretar os chifres, de perdoar e perdoar de novo até ser escorraçado por ser corno manso; Joões maus, sádicos, ciumentos, exigentes, capazes de aniquilarem as suas marias. Enfim, todos os joões e Marias representados com um humor ácido, sarcasmo, uma ironia que já começa nos próprios títulos: Grávida porém virgem, Tentações de uma pobre senhora, Agonias de virgem, etc.

Dalton Trevisan é considerado o mestre do conto no Brasil, o conto seco, com o mínimo de adjetivos. Dizer o máximo com um mínimo de palavras parece ser o seu objetivo. E diz. Transforma o banal, ou melhor, retrata o banal com grande eficiência.

Dalton Trevisan nasceu e vive em Curitiba, é autor de A Polaquinha, Cemitério de elefantes, O Vampiro de Curitiba e outros.

[Ângelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peguei esse pra dps ver a adaptação do Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, diretor de que gosto bastante, e também não começar esse autor pela obra mais famosa. Achei ok. Alguns contos foram interessantes, mas pra mim a maioria foi esquecível. A linguagem toda cortada e às vezes confusa pra um conteúdo tão simples e cotidiano não justificava pra mim. Às vezes irritava, pois parecia um entrave desnecessário e feio. Ainda com vontade de ler mais do autor, apesar de tudo

[Hgazire · Rating 4 out of 5]

31/10/13

[Rafael · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5