La femme qui tuait les poissons

by Clarice Lispector

"A mulher que matou os peixes infelizmente sou eu." Clarice Lispector começa confessando o "crime" que cometeu sem querer. E para explicar como tudo aconteceu, ela escreveu uma história de compreensão e afeto para com pessoas e bichos. Clarice conta sobre todos os bichos de estimação que já viveram em sua casa. Os que vieram sem ser convidados e foram ficando, e os que ela escolheu para criar, e que foram muitos: uma lagartixa que comia os mosquitos e mantinha limpa a sua casa, cachorros brincalhões, uma gata curiosa, um miquinho esperto, vários coelhos...

Antes de mais nada, ela explica que sempre foi alguém que gosta de animais, de crianças e também de gente grande. Todos os bichos que aparecem em seus livros fizeram, em algum momento, parte de sua vida. Nada mais natural, então, do que contar simplesmente o que aconteceu com cada um deles. Por isto mesmo, estas histórias são narradas de modo coloquial e muito próximo do cotidiano infantil. Mesmo quando ela fala sobre dor e perda, quando explica que, às vezes, as coisas acontecem diferente da maneira que queremos.

Clarice mostra, em A mulher que matou os peixes, que além de conhecer muito de perto o universo infantil, é alguém que sabe conversar com crianças com extrema sensibilidade. Ela trata os sentimentos com muita delicadeza e fala direto ao coração.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Middle Grade, Childrens, Ebooks, Classics, Brazil

Paperback

Published January 1, 1990

About the author

Clarice Lispector was a Brazilian writer. Acclaimed internationally for her innovative novels and short stories, she was also a journalist. Born to a Jewish family in Podolia in Western Ukraine, she was brought to Brazil as an infant, amidst the disasters engulfing her native land following the First World War.

She grew up in northeastern Brazil, where her mother died when she was nine. The family moved to Rio de Janeiro when she was in her teens. While in law school in Rio she began publishing her first journalistic work and short stories, catapulting to fame at age 23 with the publication of her first novel, 'Near to the Wild Heart' (Perto do Coração Selvagem), written as an interior monologue in a style and language that was considered revolutionary in Brazil.

She left Brazil in 1944, following her marriage to a Brazilian diplomat, and spent the next decade and a half in Europe and the United States. Upon return to Rio de Janeiro in 1959, she began producing her most famous works, including the stories of Family Ties (Laços de Família), the great mystic novel The Passion According to G.H. (A Paixão Segundo G.H.), and the novel many consider to be her masterpiece, Água Viva. Injured in an accident in 1966, she spent the last decade of her life in frequent pain, steadily writing and publishing novels and stories until her premature death in 1977.

She has been the subject of numerous books and references to her, and her works are common in Brazilian literature and music. Several of her works have been turned into films, one being 'Hour of the Star' and she was the subject of a recent biography, Why This World, by Benjamin Moser.

Reviews

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

That's how life went on. Gently, gently. The men were manning, the women were womaning, the boys and girls were boysandgirlsing, the winds were winding, the rain raining, the hens henning, the roosters roostering, the fig tree figtreeing, the eggs egging. And so forth. At this point, you must be complaining and asking: where's the story?

The Woman Who Killed the First is the 4th, for me, of the first 6 of the new New Directions Storybook collection, kindly sent to be by my Goodreads friend Wendy.

Created and curated by the writer and translator Gini Alhadeff, Storybook ND—our new series of slim hardcover fiction books—aims to deliver the pleasure one felt as a child reading a marvelous book from cover to cover in an afternoon. The series, beautifully designed by Peter Mendelsund, will feature original works by beloved New Directions authors, and will also introduce new writers to the list. As Alhadeff notes, “There’s nothing sweeter than to fall, for a few hours, between the covers of a perfect little book! And the image on the front, by a contemporary artist such as Francesco Clemente or Kiki Smith, will draw you in. Longer stories or shorter novels with a beautiful face: that’s Storybook ND.”

The covers of the full collection are as follows:







The covers and design might lead one to believe that these are in fact children stories, which for 5 of the 6 would be very misleading, but this is the exception, since, translated by Benjamin Moser, this is a indeed collection of 4 children's stories by the great Clarice Lispector.

Which to be frank was something of a disappointment. The Hour of the Star or The Passion According to G.H. these definitely are not. And even as children's stories go these are aimed at the KS1 market, and rather twee tales of animal companions told in a way that I suspect a modern 6 year-0ld might find a little patronising - Roald Dahl or David Walliams this also isn't.

So one best to skip except for Lispector or ND Storybook completists, or indeed young children.

[Mónica Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro pequenino que ensina crianças e adultos a cuidar do que mais gostamos e darmos mais valor aos animais quando os temos porque tal como os seres humanos precisam de carinho e atenção!

[Mandel]

With this little collection of children's stories, along with the simultaneously released Too Much of Life: The Complete Crônicas, New Directions has, if I'm not mistaken, finally completed bringing all of the writings Clarice Lispector published in her own name - with the possible exception of her college journalism - into print in English. These are children's stories, but as such they really convey the depth of Lispector's brilliance. This is the very same mind that produced the experimental mystical ecstasies of The Passion According to G.H. and Água Viva, moving tales of womanhood like The Hour of the Star and Near to the Wild Heart, and a stunning variety of cronicas, short stories, and other novels. Lispector's voice shines in these stories just as much as in her works for adults: the same immediacy, the same sense of wandering through thoughts in a way that seems both strange and perfectly natural at once, the same sense for the beauty and fragility of ordinary life. All of this in stories that I wish I could have read as a child. So charming, so lovely, yet with a depth that is belied by their simplicity.

[Adriana Scarpin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoje é dia nacional do livro infantil e se tem um livro que não recomendo para crianças é A Mulher que Matou os Peixes da Clarice Lispector.
Com sua narradora super irresponsável (a própria Clarice), que larga cachorros porque não pode mais ficar com eles, que esquece de alimentar os peixes do filho, que compra animais silvestres na rua, e que não apresenta nenhum dilema moral quanto todas essas coisas horríveis que ela fez... Esse livro só pode causar ansiedade nas crianças, sem ensinar nada de bom.
Amo a Clarice para adultos, mas tenho sérios problemas com a literatura infantil dela, a qual apresenta os traços narcísicos da autora de forma ainda mais evidente do que em sua literatura adulta.

[Mariana Jimenez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Woman Who Killed The Fish. Lispector seems to be able to predict the random yet profound questions that arise for children. This story reminded me of those stories that adults make up off the tops of their heads when kids ask for yet another bedtime story. The other two short stories had certain phrases or parts that were marvellous and clever, but did not move me as much in general. I think they do prompt very interesting reflections in early readers: on beauty, love, family, and on what it means to be or not to be human.

[od1_40reads]

Clarice Lispector writing children’s stories?! Honestly thought I’d never live to see the day!

I’ve not rated the book as I don’t really know how to. What is one supposed to do with these?!

As far as I can tell Lispector wrote these for her own children, and so did she ever even mean for them to be published?

I think it’s safe to say you should not expect the Lispector we all know and love here. But I guess it’s fascinating just to read her doing something so far removed from what we know and love.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i have a daughter she is getting raised on clarice lispector’s children stories!!!! you can tell how much she loved her children through her writings 😕. my favourite was “Almost True”. the fact she manages to keep her philosophical stream of consciousness style through a completely different genre did shock me a little?! surprisingly dark though…

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy the story about the thinking rabbit.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Lispector! Super excited to pick up more of her works.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Translated from the Portuguese by Benjamin Moser.

I'm making my way through the New Directions Storybook collection and this one didn't work for me at all. This book collects 4 stories for children. I found them strange, rather boring and patronizing. I'd be curious if these actually resonate with kids.

Stories in this collection - The Woman Who Killed the Fish, The Mystery of the Thinking Rabbit, Almost True, and Laura's Intimate Life.

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

READING VLOG

Imagine this, yes, a Lispector book for children. Yes, that’s right. She believes in the great mystery that is within them. She sees curiosity and wonder as living beings in these new lives, her children.

Here is a collection of stories about rabbits, chickens, and even roaches. Love for the roach blossoms here as much as it did in The Passion According to GH.

Here her language is playful, ever-shifting, allowing the child to let their mind roam in dreamscapes and laughter. In pleasure, they learn how animals navigate the world, how much different it is for a mortal. Already, she prepares the child for different narratives, different consciences. And this is how the child is ready. Ready enough to be given an egg and knows to be gentle with it, a world, birth, and, of course, food. Lispector understands that a child knows more than an adult. And Lispector knows how to bring an adult back to childhood understanding and compassion.

[Erica]

probably not fair to hold this up alongside the rest of her work but these stories did nothing to convince me that her writing is worthy of the praise heaped on it. i remain a clarice liskeptic!

[Royce · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those reading all of the stories in the ND series, these are children’s stories.

[danielle; ▵ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my son but also for myself; I liked that the animals were depicted more as thinking than as talking; it was somehow a little realer and a little more magical that way.

[Carolina Mendes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
Não sei porque é que não consigo ler nenhum livro que a Clarice Lispector escreveu para gente adulta, nas palavras dela. Mas acho que este livro, para gente pequena, talvez fosse o incentivo que me faltava.
Gostei muito!

[Lauren]

I feel scammed because the last ND Storybook I read wasn’t actually for kids?? This one was, and I knew that going in, but because it was Clarice Lispector I assumed it was at least gonna be a little existential or morally puzzling or something. But no it’s literally just for children and I am not a child so it’s not for me!

Her range is wild and I fear I am only comfy in the middle where Hour of the Star and Book of Pleasures sit.

[Simay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m positive that I could’ve written this short story/book in second grade 🫢

[Matt Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding a translated Clarice Lispector book I hadn’t read yet should just be an exercise in completism except—and I admit I might be biased, but—everything of hers I’ve read is just that good. The Woman Who Killed the Fish would seem the perfect candidate for just checking the “read every Lispector book” box, especially since they’re just stories she wrote for her sons at bedtime, but she infuses a humor, gentle beauty, and a restrained whimsy into these “mostly true” tales of nature and everyday magic that elevate every digression and aside as well as the stories themselves. Lispector’s special care for language is the icing on the cake.

[Tânia Tanocas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opinião em breve... ;)

[Castles · Rating 5 out of 5]

dark yet full of humor, and the direct approach of Lispector to the reader. it also carry many hints of her work for adults.

[íriiiiis · Rating 2 out of 5]

eu sei que é suposto, mas a maneira como ela escreve só me faz lembrar de como eu escrevia quando era criança e isso é sinistro

[Online Stig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysig!

[maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

nd 4/7
kids stories in a series for adults trying to feel like kids reading stories
possibly a bit condescending but cute. reminds me of beardman if mother dear was a more verbose writer. i really must read a proper lispector

[kate]

sorry i didn’t like it 🙊 too much animal murder???? also fully for children though themes

[Ethan Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Did you know that God likes hens? And do you know how I know He likes them? Here's why: if He didn't like hens, He simply wouldn't make hens in the world. God likes you too because otherwise He wouldn't have made you. But why does he make rats? I don't know.”

On a mission to real all the Storybook ND series, this was one was cute and charming. Not surprising at all that a soul like Clarice finds such a kinship and beauty in the simple lives of critters

[Paige Hennen]

whimsical, as kids stories should be (no idea how to rate tho)! what a gift to write for little people AND big people. can’t wait to read some of her other works.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a trip.
I don't know how else to explain it.
The language used in here is a rarity to find, and it's always the first thing that catches my eye when finding a book like this. It's written how a person would speak. It's written in the author's voice. It's kind of chaotic, but in a poetic sort of way. The four short stories she shares would do wonders as a bedtime story to children, but gives adults a deeper, more heavy and meaningful experience. Overall, really fantastic and highly recommended for any and all ages.

[Anna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Vocês ficaram tristes com esta história? Vou fazer um pedido para vocês: todas as vezes que vocês se sentirem solitários, isto é, sozinhos, procurem uma pessoa para conversar. Escolham uma pessoa grande que seja muito boa para crianças e que entenda que às vezes um menino ou uma menina estão sofrendo.”

[Goldfinch Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh haha, yeah

It's kind of what you'd expect out of children's books written by Clarice Lispector. So I think it's awesome and it's cool how conversational it is, but I feel like if I read it to a kid they wouldn't like it that much? An audiobook would be sick though

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que gracinha ! E a narração de Zezé Polessa me fez sorrir algumas vezes. :)