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La Cartomancienne
Romancier de la classe bourgeoise brésilienne, Machado de Assis sut écarter la prose brésilienne du régionalisme pour la rapprocher de l'homme, considéré d'un point de vue universel. Psychologue à la vie intérieure intense, pessimiste incurable, il réussit à fondre son amer sentiment de désillusion en un humour calme et subtil.
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published November 25, 1998
1 person want to read
About the author
Machado de Assis
1,166 books2,500 followersJoaquim Maria Machado de Assis, often known as Machado de Assis, Machado, or Bruxo do Cosme Velho, (June 21, 1839, Rio de Janeiro—September 29, 1908, Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short story writer. He is widely regarded as the most important writer of Brazilian literature. However, he did not gain widespread popularity outside Brazil in his own lifetime.
Machado's works had a great influence on Brazilian literary schools of the late 19th century and 20th century. José Saramago, Carlos Fuentes, Susan Sontag and Harold Bloom are among his admirers and Bloom calls him "the supreme black literary artist to date."
Machado's works had a great influence on Brazilian literary schools of the late 19th century and 20th century. José Saramago, Carlos Fuentes, Susan Sontag and Harold Bloom are among his admirers and Bloom calls him "the supreme black literary artist to date."
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February 16, 2026"Almost everyone died. It all ended in a sea of blood.
That's what comes of visiting a fortune-teller". [ M.C.]
We, foreigners, often believe we " get it ", because we follow the plot. But the plot is only the skeleton. The real life of the text is in the irony, in the cultural air.
Yes, I enjoyed " La Cartomancienne ". But I also felt a sadness. The sadness of knowing that I am reading from the outside. And that changed everything. I know that translation is a bridge, but also a filter. It lets me cross the river, yes, but it also hides the color of the water. It is like hearing a joke in a foreign language - you understand the words, but you do not laugh with the same muscles. I am sure a native Portuguese reader would hear another music behind the same lines. Maybe this is the real lesson of reading Machado as a foreigner - you understand the story, but the story does not fully understand you. In the end, I think this distance is not a failure. It is a lesson, a reminder that literature is not only words, it is also the world behind the words. And this is why I will continue reading Machado - not to " understand " him, but to learn how much I still cannot understand. Understanding a foreign writer is not the same as entering his world. A translation, even the best one, it gives you access, but not necessarily belonging. And yet, I liked this book all the more because of this distance. Because it made me aware of the fragile, beautiful, impossible dream of understanding another culture completely. And, strangely, that made the connection even stronger.
When I finally closed the book, I felt a soft , unexpected émotion - the strange joy of having loved the story, and the even stranger tenderness of knowing it will always keep a part of itself beyond my reach.
That's what comes of visiting a fortune-teller". [ M.C.]
We, foreigners, often believe we " get it ", because we follow the plot. But the plot is only the skeleton. The real life of the text is in the irony, in the cultural air.
Yes, I enjoyed " La Cartomancienne ". But I also felt a sadness. The sadness of knowing that I am reading from the outside. And that changed everything. I know that translation is a bridge, but also a filter. It lets me cross the river, yes, but it also hides the color of the water. It is like hearing a joke in a foreign language - you understand the words, but you do not laugh with the same muscles. I am sure a native Portuguese reader would hear another music behind the same lines. Maybe this is the real lesson of reading Machado as a foreigner - you understand the story, but the story does not fully understand you. In the end, I think this distance is not a failure. It is a lesson, a reminder that literature is not only words, it is also the world behind the words. And this is why I will continue reading Machado - not to " understand " him, but to learn how much I still cannot understand. Understanding a foreign writer is not the same as entering his world. A translation, even the best one, it gives you access, but not necessarily belonging. And yet, I liked this book all the more because of this distance. Because it made me aware of the fragile, beautiful, impossible dream of understanding another culture completely. And, strangely, that made the connection even stronger.
When I finally closed the book, I felt a soft , unexpected émotion - the strange joy of having loved the story, and the even stranger tenderness of knowing it will always keep a part of itself beyond my reach.
Displaying 1 of 1 review