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The Apprentice Tourist
'My life's done a somersault,' wrote acclaimed modernist writer Mário de Andrade. After years of dreaming about Amazonia, he finally embarked on a three-month odyssey up the great river and into the wild heart of his native Brazil with a group of avant-garde luminaries. All abandoned ship but a socialite, her two nieces, and, of course, the author himself. And so begins the humorous account of Andrade's steamboat adventure into one of the most dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful corners of the world.
Rife with shrewd observations and sparkling wit, his sarcastic, down-to-earth diary entries not only offer comedic and awe-inspiring details of life and the landscape but also trace his internal metamorphosis: his travels challenge what he thought he knew about the Amazon, and drastically alter his understanding of his motherland.
Rife with shrewd observations and sparkling wit, his sarcastic, down-to-earth diary entries not only offer comedic and awe-inspiring details of life and the landscape but also trace his internal metamorphosis: his travels challenge what he thought he knew about the Amazon, and drastically alter his understanding of his motherland.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
About the author
Mário de Andrade
217 books152 followersMário Raul de Morais Andrade was a Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, and photographer. One of the founders of Brazilian modernism, he virtually created modern Brazilian poetry with the publication of his Paulicéia Desvairada (Hallucinated City) in 1922. He has had an enormous influence on Brazilian literature in the 20th and 21st centuries, and as a scholar and essayist—he was a pioneer of the field of ethnomusicology—his influence has reached far beyond Brazil.
Andrade was the central figure in the avant-garde movement of São Paulo for twenty years. Trained as a musician and best known as a poet and novelist, Andrade was personally involved in virtually every discipline that was connected with São Paulo modernism, and became Brazil's national polymath. He was the driving force behind the Week of Modern Art, the 1922 event that reshaped both literature and the visual arts in Brazil. After working as a music professor and newspaper columnist he published his great novel, Macunaíma, in 1928. At the end of his life, he became the founding director of São Paulo's Department of Culture, formalizing a role he had long held as the catalyst of the city's—and the nation's—entry into artistic modernity.
From Wikipedia
Andrade was the central figure in the avant-garde movement of São Paulo for twenty years. Trained as a musician and best known as a poet and novelist, Andrade was personally involved in virtually every discipline that was connected with São Paulo modernism, and became Brazil's national polymath. He was the driving force behind the Week of Modern Art, the 1922 event that reshaped both literature and the visual arts in Brazil. After working as a music professor and newspaper columnist he published his great novel, Macunaíma, in 1928. At the end of his life, he became the founding director of São Paulo's Department of Culture, formalizing a role he had long held as the catalyst of the city's—and the nation's—entry into artistic modernity.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 24, 2023
Lol this is such a niche book I guess why does it only have 14 ratings on goodreads??? Like not even reviews just 14 ratings? And only one review 😭 Adds up because it was the only copy of it in the travel section of Barnes&Noble lol and only like 1 of 3 books about Brazil (1 was a travel guide). Anyway picked this up because it’s a famous Brazilian author who documents his 3-month journey thru the Amazon and I will be visiting the Amazon in October (and I’m currently living in Brazil) so thought it would be a cool read. Overall, there was lots of nonsense in here and a lot of boring stuff but you can tell he’s a poet because some lines and paragraphs were beautiful and so well-written. I enjoyed it and his commentary on Brazil but I’m glad it was only 160 pages lol.
August 28, 2026
The little side stories I really liked, and you really got taken with him on this boat travelling around Brazil. It did become a little repetitive after a while and I also wanted to have a little more insight in his political views.
May 22, 2023
"The Apprentice Tourist" is an entertaining animated novel that reveals more about the narrator’s own notions of the cultures and environments in which he indulges as opposed to the adventurous voyage itself. Playing on common stereotypes, fantastical images, and sociological references, the author examines the idyllic and substandard elements of Brazil, as well as his those of his own beliefs. A fairly intriguing novel to those that are interested in fiction that reads like an intimate diary or a piece of literary nonfiction; however, the unedited nature of this book may often find readers needing to step back ad catch a quick breathe of streamlined thinking and comprehensive understanding.
September 6, 2026
This really was a delightful and special read. I have never been to Brazil or know anything about it other than the very basics, so seeing the names of various animals, foods, plants, places, etc. felt like a voyage of sorts. I appreciated the insight in the literary sphere of Brazil at the start of the 20th century. For some reason, Brazilian literature is not talked about much here and little seems to have been translated, so it was (again) like entering a whole new world. Much of it seems very interesting though and I didn't expect to become so curious after reading this book.
Mário de Andrade seems like he was quite the character. In this book, he's funny, relatable and perspicacious. The way he tells the things he did every day - an essentially repetitive endeavour - never felt boring. What's more, he inserts enthralling stories of all kinds. His description of the manatee is hilarious and the dialogue he has with a native in Nanay troubled me, to give only two examples.
If only I had more insight in this because it is a very important aspect of his travel, Mário de Andrade is a defender of the Brazilian identity, as an important representative of the modernist movement. He is at a point in time where Brazil is not a colony anymore and and whose people are not looking towards Portugal as an example anymore. Apparently, this is visible in the language he uses (I sadly don't know Portuguese, but he talks about some linguistic traits of the Brazilian variety of the language here and there). The whole reason for the trip is to come in contact with many different people, including natives. I wish I had a clearer understanding of de Andrade's (and non-native Brazilians' in general) relationship with natives. That much I gathered, that he doesn't believe in defining Brazilian identity solely on native culture like some other Latin American author did (I can't find his name). In the book, he occasionally writes parodies of ethnological treatises about natives, making up societies and tribes. I think it plays on the two levels: the attitude of European explorers and colonizers towards natives and the cultural diversity of Brazil.
What I liked the most in this book was the colors, the vivid descriptions, the humor, and the attention for music and poetry. De Andrade talks about different genres of folk songs and poetry and even writes them down. It was all very lovely.
Mário de Andrade seems like he was quite the character. In this book, he's funny, relatable and perspicacious. The way he tells the things he did every day - an essentially repetitive endeavour - never felt boring. What's more, he inserts enthralling stories of all kinds. His description of the manatee is hilarious and the dialogue he has with a native in Nanay troubled me, to give only two examples.
If only I had more insight in this because it is a very important aspect of his travel, Mário de Andrade is a defender of the Brazilian identity, as an important representative of the modernist movement. He is at a point in time where Brazil is not a colony anymore and and whose people are not looking towards Portugal as an example anymore. Apparently, this is visible in the language he uses (I sadly don't know Portuguese, but he talks about some linguistic traits of the Brazilian variety of the language here and there). The whole reason for the trip is to come in contact with many different people, including natives. I wish I had a clearer understanding of de Andrade's (and non-native Brazilians' in general) relationship with natives. That much I gathered, that he doesn't believe in defining Brazilian identity solely on native culture like some other Latin American author did (I can't find his name). In the book, he occasionally writes parodies of ethnological treatises about natives, making up societies and tribes. I think it plays on the two levels: the attitude of European explorers and colonizers towards natives and the cultural diversity of Brazil.
What I liked the most in this book was the colors, the vivid descriptions, the humor, and the attention for music and poetry. De Andrade talks about different genres of folk songs and poetry and even writes them down. It was all very lovely.
February 28, 2025
Eu fiquei tentada a dar 2 estrelas, mas porque tá mais pra 2,5. Não sei muito bem como explicar, mas esse livro simplesmente não bateu com meu santo, achei confuso e difícil de entender muitos termos e gírias, por mais que mario tenha sido um grande escritor e folclorista dentro de uma enormidade de coisas, e com um ótimo senso de humor, esse é um livro que deixou poucas marcas e poucos interesses
February 21, 2026
livro perfeito pra ler à toa no feriado de carnaval. é como ficar íntimo de alguém pelos seus escritos mais banais e corriqueiros: descrições de desencontros, anedotas, planos frustrados, observações, tédios, esperas, maravilhamentos e perrengues de viagem. calha que quem escreve é mário de andrade. não me relaciono tanto com os romances dele, mas a figura dele me cativa muito. e nessa prosa dá pra ver bem porque: é de uma imaginação e poesia tremendas. as histórias da torneirinha do governo e da vitória régia são apaixonantes e vão ficar comigo por um tempo.
January 12, 2025
Work book club. I finished enough of it!
What a cheeky guy! Delightful and playful language with tremendously fine descriptions of sunsets and heat and flowers and fruit.
His faux anthropological studies of indigenous were so fantastical but much preferable to the alternative—self-serious attempts at cataloguing otherized peoples.
What a cheeky guy! Delightful and playful language with tremendously fine descriptions of sunsets and heat and flowers and fruit.
His faux anthropological studies of indigenous were so fantastical but much preferable to the alternative—self-serious attempts at cataloguing otherized peoples.
February 7, 2026
3.75
mistura trechos de registro pessoal, de narrativa ficcional e observações de cunho mais antropológico. não é a obra prima do mario (e senti o final bem arrastado com as descrições), mas tampouco é o intuito. o modo como o mario descreve as paisagens - e especialmente as comidas - é lindo. deliciosamente, irreverentemente brasileiro.
“mas isso, que chamam de barbárie os deserdados da nossa terra, não passa de uma reeducação. sintoma capitoso de brasil”
mistura trechos de registro pessoal, de narrativa ficcional e observações de cunho mais antropológico. não é a obra prima do mario (e senti o final bem arrastado com as descrições), mas tampouco é o intuito. o modo como o mario descreve as paisagens - e especialmente as comidas - é lindo. deliciosamente, irreverentemente brasileiro.
“mas isso, que chamam de barbárie os deserdados da nossa terra, não passa de uma reeducação. sintoma capitoso de brasil”
March 30, 2024
This is one of those books that will immediately go on my shelf of books that teaches you how to write. It took me forever to sail through the Amazon with Andrade. Life on board. But every few pages I found these bursts of wit, imagination and just brilliant ideas, lies and parables, making previous pages of dull travel notes fully sufferable. All in all a completely charming read.
January 6, 2026
Not my cup of tea. I found it frustrating that he was focussing on things in a way that seemed at odds with how the synopsis had pitched the book, and there was very little to actually latch on to as a reader. We meet a cast of characters and a vast sprawling environment, but get to know so little about them or their effect because Andrade aimed for modernist writing above substance.
January 25, 2025
"O turista aprendiz", de Mário de Andrade, é uma publicação da editora "Tinta da China”. Traz 14 fotos feitas pelo autor e mapas. Foi organizada por Flora Thomson De Veaux, diretora de pesquisa da Rádio Novelo. Ela traduziu para o inglês esse mesmo livro e "Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas", de Machado de Assis.
Mário de Andrade já pesquisava trabalhos de antropólogos e exploradores sobre povos originários do Brasil. Tinha muito interesse pelo folclore e pela cultura popular. Um ano após escrever "Macunaíma", foi convidado para participar de uma expedição à Amazônia por Olívia Guedes Penteado, patrocinadora das artes, amiga de artistas modernistas e militante pelo direito voto para as mulheres.
Entre maio e agosto de 1927, Mário de Andrade fez a jornada que ele mesmo descreve como "Viagem pelo Amazonas até o Peru, pelo Madeira até a Bolivia e por Marajó até dizer chega”.
"O turista aprendiz" reúne descrições dos cenários, habitantes das cidades e da floresta, e personagens embarcados — como Olívia e suas convidadas Balança e Trombeta.
A obra é considerada um clássico da literatura de viagem. É um diário de bordo que oferece um ritmo agradável de leitura. Entre seus relatos, há observações maldosas e, claro, escapadas pelo universo da ficção.
Por conta de Olívia Guedes Penteado, Mário de Andrade é recebido com a baronesa do café por autoridades em cada lugar em que a embarcação aporta. Ele fica enfastiado, porém não deixa de descrever e elogiar cada refeição que o encanta. O que inclui tartarugas. Não raro, suas observações são as de uma pessoa bem nutrida da aristocracia paulistana.
Entre suas anotações, o autor registra cada agrupamento indígena visitado. Por vezes, faz observações banais de um turista. Em outros casos, encanta-se com a musicalidade de um grupo. Lembrando que Mário de Andrade também era músico e estudioso da música.
A viagem foi em 1927, ano em que, entre outras restrições, mulheres ainda não tinham o direito de votar. O olhar sobre elas estava longe de ser lisonjeiro, para dizer o mínimo. Mas é estranho ler nas palavras de um dos fundadores do modernismo referências questionáveis às mulheres. Como esta: "Não cantam nada estas praias, bonitas por demais pra serem também inteligentes, como sucede com as mulheres.”
Incomodam também as anotações do autor sobre embarcações abarrotadas de madeiras nobres partindo para os Estados Unidos. A pilhagem da Amazônia vem de longe. Uma conduta então naturalizada, como também a exploração de animais.
Além de se deliciar com carne de tartaruga e reclamar da carne dura de papagaio, Mário de Andrade comprou e ganhou peles de tamanduás, cobras, onças, lontras, preguiças e bugios. Cascos de tartaruga ainda serviram como matéria prima para peças de artesanato encomendadas por ele.
Além de recomendar a leitura, eu gostaria muito de repetir esse roteiro de Mário de Andrade. Apesar de, um século depois, a Amazônia já não ser mais a mesma que ele viu.
Mário de Andrade já pesquisava trabalhos de antropólogos e exploradores sobre povos originários do Brasil. Tinha muito interesse pelo folclore e pela cultura popular. Um ano após escrever "Macunaíma", foi convidado para participar de uma expedição à Amazônia por Olívia Guedes Penteado, patrocinadora das artes, amiga de artistas modernistas e militante pelo direito voto para as mulheres.
Entre maio e agosto de 1927, Mário de Andrade fez a jornada que ele mesmo descreve como "Viagem pelo Amazonas até o Peru, pelo Madeira até a Bolivia e por Marajó até dizer chega”.
"O turista aprendiz" reúne descrições dos cenários, habitantes das cidades e da floresta, e personagens embarcados — como Olívia e suas convidadas Balança e Trombeta.
A obra é considerada um clássico da literatura de viagem. É um diário de bordo que oferece um ritmo agradável de leitura. Entre seus relatos, há observações maldosas e, claro, escapadas pelo universo da ficção.
Por conta de Olívia Guedes Penteado, Mário de Andrade é recebido com a baronesa do café por autoridades em cada lugar em que a embarcação aporta. Ele fica enfastiado, porém não deixa de descrever e elogiar cada refeição que o encanta. O que inclui tartarugas. Não raro, suas observações são as de uma pessoa bem nutrida da aristocracia paulistana.
Entre suas anotações, o autor registra cada agrupamento indígena visitado. Por vezes, faz observações banais de um turista. Em outros casos, encanta-se com a musicalidade de um grupo. Lembrando que Mário de Andrade também era músico e estudioso da música.
A viagem foi em 1927, ano em que, entre outras restrições, mulheres ainda não tinham o direito de votar. O olhar sobre elas estava longe de ser lisonjeiro, para dizer o mínimo. Mas é estranho ler nas palavras de um dos fundadores do modernismo referências questionáveis às mulheres. Como esta: "Não cantam nada estas praias, bonitas por demais pra serem também inteligentes, como sucede com as mulheres.”
Incomodam também as anotações do autor sobre embarcações abarrotadas de madeiras nobres partindo para os Estados Unidos. A pilhagem da Amazônia vem de longe. Uma conduta então naturalizada, como também a exploração de animais.
Além de se deliciar com carne de tartaruga e reclamar da carne dura de papagaio, Mário de Andrade comprou e ganhou peles de tamanduás, cobras, onças, lontras, preguiças e bugios. Cascos de tartaruga ainda serviram como matéria prima para peças de artesanato encomendadas por ele.
Além de recomendar a leitura, eu gostaria muito de repetir esse roteiro de Mário de Andrade. Apesar de, um século depois, a Amazônia já não ser mais a mesma que ele viu.
August 1, 2026
This is, undoubtedly, different from anything else I've ever read. The trouble I'm having is deciding what it actually is. This is structured as a diary, recounting the travels de Andrade made through Amazonia in the 1920s. As Flora Thomson-DeVeaux says in her translator's note, de Andrade was famous for singular, idiomatic turns of phrase, which she has most inventively rendered into English. There's a fair amount of spelling "though" as "tho" and phrases like "I've never looked so lookingly in all my life." This must have been a massive undertaking to try and translate. Thomson-DeVeaux's name should be on the cover! This is an outrage!
Since this is inherently and purposely a biased account by de Andrade, it's hard to tell what, if anything, about the indigenous peoples he met and landscapes he saw on his travels is strictly accurate. Along with the accounts of his daily adventures, de Andrade includes little anecdotes throughout that might be local folk stories, or additional real events from his travels, or maybe he just made them up. It's an odd jumble, and trying to piece out what's real and what's not will probably make you nuts. I think this book is valuable as an introduction to de Andrade's voice, and as a starting point for learning more about the Amazonia circa 100 years ago (DeVeaux's many footnotes should help you here), but otherwise, this is more of a "vibes only" read than anything else. But hey, the vibes were mostly fun.
Since this is inherently and purposely a biased account by de Andrade, it's hard to tell what, if anything, about the indigenous peoples he met and landscapes he saw on his travels is strictly accurate. Along with the accounts of his daily adventures, de Andrade includes little anecdotes throughout that might be local folk stories, or additional real events from his travels, or maybe he just made them up. It's an odd jumble, and trying to piece out what's real and what's not will probably make you nuts. I think this book is valuable as an introduction to de Andrade's voice, and as a starting point for learning more about the Amazonia circa 100 years ago (DeVeaux's many footnotes should help you here), but otherwise, this is more of a "vibes only" read than anything else. But hey, the vibes were mostly fun.
Did Not Finish
March 17, 2026Que livro difícil. Chato, ou sei lá.
Tentei, tentei e me senti novamente diante daquelas leituras obrigatórias do ensino médio, que a gente atravessa mais por obrigação do que por encontro.
Também me senti fraca. Afinal, como assim eu não iria até o fim? Como assim desistir? Pudera eu largar algo no meio do caminho?
No fim, o livro escolhido para o clubinho recebeu uma enxurrada de desistências, reclamações e certo apavoro coletivo. Não era para ser.
Quem leu, parabéns.
Quem não leu, parabéns também.
A vida é maior, e mais interessante, do que sair performando só para poder dizer que performou.
Tentei, tentei e me senti novamente diante daquelas leituras obrigatórias do ensino médio, que a gente atravessa mais por obrigação do que por encontro.
Também me senti fraca. Afinal, como assim eu não iria até o fim? Como assim desistir? Pudera eu largar algo no meio do caminho?
No fim, o livro escolhido para o clubinho recebeu uma enxurrada de desistências, reclamações e certo apavoro coletivo. Não era para ser.
Quem leu, parabéns.
Quem não leu, parabéns também.
A vida é maior, e mais interessante, do que sair performando só para poder dizer que performou.
September 28, 2023
"The Apprentice Tourist is little more than a collection of notes he took on this adventure. It’s hard for him to take himself seriously as an interpreter of Brazil, as guide to the mysteries. He doesn’t want to be guide to the mysteries. His tone is one of merry irritation. It’s hot. Remarkably hot." -Joy Williams
Read the full review here: https://books.substack.com/p/review-j...
Read the full review here: https://books.substack.com/p/review-j...
April 27, 2026
de Andrade wrote this travelog a century ago, minding the literary tradition of exploration. He boats the Amazon river, but sadly nothing very exciting ever happens. Thankfully, he’s a very funny writer and his descriptions of people and places, and his delayed confessions, make for an entertaining read nonetheless.
January 12, 2024
As someone who lived in Amazonia for two years, this made me nostalgic, especially for Manaus and Itacoatiara. That said, while the prose is often charming, it is also very much a product of its time in how De Andrade talks about indigenous people.
November 12, 2024
Honestly, the extremely anti-indigenenous (read: racist) thoughts and behavior of the author* made this impossible to enjoy as a 'playful romp.'
*This book is filed under biography/memoir by the publisher though some of the other reviewers are calling it a novel
*This book is filed under biography/memoir by the publisher though some of the other reviewers are calling it a novel
March 7, 2025
Interessante ler as observações de Maio de Andrade sobre a região Norte.
Read
April 16, 2025Hints of Twain from his travelogues. Enjoyable!
June 16, 2026
livro perfeito pra levar em uma viagem de barco pela amazonia. vi os botos brincando na agua enquanto lia mario de andrade falando sobre os botos brincando na agua 100 anos antes. fui muito feliz
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews