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The Yellow Sofa
Jose Maria de Eca de Queiros, the first great modern Portuguese novelist, wrote iThe Yellow Sofa/i with, as he said, "no digressions, no rhetoric," where "everything is interesting and dramatic and quickly narrated." The story, a terse and seamless spoof of Victorian bourgeois morals, concerns Godofredo Alves, a successful, buoyant businessman who returns home to find his wife "on the yellow damask sofa...leaning in abandon on the shoulder of a man..." The man is none other than Machado, his best friend and business partner. Godofredo struggles with the public need to defend his honor, and a stronger inner desire for forgiveness and domestic tranquility.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
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563 people want to read
About the author
Eça de Queirós
357 books1,180 followersJosé Maria Eça de Queirós was a novelist committed to social reform who introduced naturalism and realism to Portugal. He is often considered to be the greatest Portuguese novelist, certainly the leading 19th-century Portuguese novelist whose fame was international. The son of a prominent magistrate, Eça de Queiroz spent his early years with relatives and was sent to boarding school at the age of five. After receiving his degree in law in 1866 from the University of Coimbra, where he read widely French, he settled in Lisbon. There his father, who had since married Eça de Queiroz' mother, made up for past neglect by helping the young man make a start in the legal profession. Eça de Queiroz' real interest lay in literature, however, and soon his short stories - ironic, fantastic, macabre, and often gratuitously shocking - and essays on a wide variety of subjects began to appear in the "Gazeta de Portugal". By 1871 he had become closely associated with a group of rebellious Portuguese intellectuals committed to social and artistic reform and known as the Generation of '70. Eça de Queiroz gave one of a series of lectures sponsored by the group in which he denounced contemporary Portuguese literature as unoriginal and hypocritical. He served as consul, first in Havana (1872-74), then in England, UK - in Newcastle upon Tyne (1874-79) and in Bristol (1879-88). During this time he wrote the novels for which he is best remembered, attempting to bring about social reform in Portugal through literature by exposing what he held to be the evils and the absurdities of the traditional order. His first novel, "O crime do Padre Amaro" (1875; "The Sin of Father Amaro", 1962), describes the destructive effects of celibacy on a priest of weak character and the dangers of fanaticism in a provincial Portuguese town. A biting satire on the romantic ideal of passion and its tragic consequences appears in his next novel, "O Primo Basílio" (1878; "Cousin Bazilio", 1953). Caustic satire characterizes the novel that is generally considered Eça de Queiroz' masterpiece, "Os Maias (1888; "The Maias", 1965), a detailed depiction of upper middle-class and aristocratic Portuguese society. His last novels are sentimental, unlike his earlier work. "A Cidade e as Serras" (1901; "The City and the Mountains", 1955) extols the beauty of the Portuguese countryside and the joys of rural life. Eça de Queiroz was appointed consul in Paris in 1888, where he served until his death. Of his posthumously published works, "Contos" (1902) is a collection of short stories, and "Últimas Páginas" (1912) includes saints' legends. Translations of his works persisted into the second half of the 20th century.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211055/bio
Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211055/bio
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 11, 2023
The Yellow Sofa of the title is an instrument of sin…
The protagonist is blissfully married…
And his wife is charm itself…
He’s in a hurry to return home to celebrate an anniversary of their wedding… And the great surprise awaits him there…
And the tale is about the aftermath of this surprise and much suffering…
Contemplating vengeance one must be careful not to ruin one’s own life.
The protagonist is blissfully married…
…at bottom, this man of thirty-seven, already rather bald, with a full black moustache, was still something of a romantic. He had inherited this from his mother, a skinny lady who played the harp and spent her time reading poetry.
And his wife is charm itself…
…he could now admit that he had at first been overawed by her. He had thought her proud, exacting, aloof. All because of her lovely figure, her big dark eyes, her erect bearing, her crisp wavy hair… But in that magnificent body of a barbarous queen, he had discovered the heart of a child. She was good, charitable, lighthearted, and her disposition was as placid and gentle as the limpid surface of a summer river.
He’s in a hurry to return home to celebrate an anniversary of their wedding… And the great surprise awaits him there…
And the tale is about the aftermath of this surprise and much suffering…
…Alves suddenly found himself choked by the feeling of his ridiculousness. He saw himself as belonging to the grotesque tribe of betrayed husbands who cannot come home without some lover making his escape… And it was like that throughout the city, scandal in corners, lovers fleeing and lovers caught… He had caught one of them.
Contemplating vengeance one must be careful not to ruin one’s own life.
July 27, 2020
The GR summary, taken from the book cover gives a good summary so I’ll start with that as the first paragraph:
Jose Maria de Eca de Queiros (1843-1900), the first great modern Portuguese novelist, wrote The Yellow Sofa with, as he said, "no digressions, no rhetoric," where "everything is interesting and dramatic and quickly narrated." The story, a terse and seamless spoof of Victorian bourgeois morals, concerns Godofredo Alves, a successful, buoyant businessman who returns home to find his wife "on the yellow damask sofa...leaning in abandon on the shoulder of a man..." The man is none other than Machado, his best friend and business partner. Godofredo struggles with the public need to defend his honor, and a stronger inner desire for forgiveness and domestic tranquility.
Godofredo sends his wife home to her father. The old man is reluctant to accept her back until he negotiates a “stipend” for her support. The main character proposed a duel with his offending business partner. Both men in the proposed duel round up “seconds” and the story becomes a farce as we watch Godofredo get antsy as the friends deliberately talk about having a doctor on standby to tend to wounds and as they advise him to get his will in order. The men try to convince the main character that even though he caught her snuggling up in her negligee this was a ‘flirtation,’ not an ‘affair.’
I like Eca’s irony and humor. One of his own friends who will act as second in the proposed duel is himself worried about repercussions from a husband finding out about his own on-going affair with a married woman. Without his wife present to run the household, Godofredo can’t control his maid and cook; he gets crappy meals, the house becomes a pigsty, and they start bringing men into the apartment when he’s not there.
A good story, a novella (112 pages) so a quick read. Eca’s son in an introduction explains that the story was found among Eca’s papers after his death and no one knows when it was written. It may have been part of a project the author had in mind to write 100 novellas about life in Portugal featuring people in different regions, occupations and social classes. One hundred novellas -- now that’s ambition! Most likely it was written around 1880.
Photo of Lisbon in the early 1900's from enclosuretakerefuge.com
The author honored on a Portuguese stamp from Goodreads
Jose Maria de Eca de Queiros (1843-1900), the first great modern Portuguese novelist, wrote The Yellow Sofa with, as he said, "no digressions, no rhetoric," where "everything is interesting and dramatic and quickly narrated." The story, a terse and seamless spoof of Victorian bourgeois morals, concerns Godofredo Alves, a successful, buoyant businessman who returns home to find his wife "on the yellow damask sofa...leaning in abandon on the shoulder of a man..." The man is none other than Machado, his best friend and business partner. Godofredo struggles with the public need to defend his honor, and a stronger inner desire for forgiveness and domestic tranquility.
Godofredo sends his wife home to her father. The old man is reluctant to accept her back until he negotiates a “stipend” for her support. The main character proposed a duel with his offending business partner. Both men in the proposed duel round up “seconds” and the story becomes a farce as we watch Godofredo get antsy as the friends deliberately talk about having a doctor on standby to tend to wounds and as they advise him to get his will in order. The men try to convince the main character that even though he caught her snuggling up in her negligee this was a ‘flirtation,’ not an ‘affair.’
I like Eca’s irony and humor. One of his own friends who will act as second in the proposed duel is himself worried about repercussions from a husband finding out about his own on-going affair with a married woman. Without his wife present to run the household, Godofredo can’t control his maid and cook; he gets crappy meals, the house becomes a pigsty, and they start bringing men into the apartment when he’s not there.
A good story, a novella (112 pages) so a quick read. Eca’s son in an introduction explains that the story was found among Eca’s papers after his death and no one knows when it was written. It may have been part of a project the author had in mind to write 100 novellas about life in Portugal featuring people in different regions, occupations and social classes. One hundred novellas -- now that’s ambition! Most likely it was written around 1880.
Photo of Lisbon in the early 1900's from enclosuretakerefuge.com
The author honored on a Portuguese stamp from Goodreads
September 8, 2025
In the late 19th century in Lisbon, Portugal propriety must be obeyed otherwise the world would end, as civilization collapses so thinks Godofredo Alves as all respectable people believe. An owner of an export company in the capital, maybe he is not wealthy but prosperous with a loving, pretty, loyal wife Ludovina (Lulu ). Married for four years he still wants, needs to go home to see Lulu whenever there is a chance. Alves 37, has a partner a decade younger than him, Senhor Machado who lately has left early from work, however they are close friends...more like brothers and business is good. Alone except for the bookkeeper, Godofredo decides home is better. Sneaking into the apartment to surprise Lulu...he will be shocked, on the yellow sofa Machado has his arms around Lulu leaving no mistake, they seem like a couple. Tears in the eyes, boiling inside his partner has a well earned reputation which amused Senhor Alves but doesn't now. Quickly alone with Lulu, ordering her to take everything she owns and be ready to leave with Senhor Neto the lazy, greedy widower father, who will arrive soon . Alves's mind is in turmoil.. ...wanders...suicide...maybe...duel for sure no respectable gentleman would decline. Informing Carvalho and Medeiros , his best friends , needed for the duel , customs will be followed...
however the grieving husband is nervous, still a man has to do his duty...But is Lulu really guilty ? Nevertheless this is a serious situation (with hidden humor implied) and should be thoroughly discussed with the two friends ...Margarida the servant girl work slacks off , the cook no better effort , the deceived suffers in more ways than one. A study of society in decline , a nation once powerful now backwards, yet clinging to a glorious past... a mirage that probably will never again be duplicated. This posthumous novella was discovered by the late , great writer's son in a neglected trunk over twenty years after his demise...we are grateful for the little gem.
however the grieving husband is nervous, still a man has to do his duty...But is Lulu really guilty ? Nevertheless this is a serious situation (with hidden humor implied) and should be thoroughly discussed with the two friends ...Margarida the servant girl work slacks off , the cook no better effort , the deceived suffers in more ways than one. A study of society in decline , a nation once powerful now backwards, yet clinging to a glorious past... a mirage that probably will never again be duplicated. This posthumous novella was discovered by the late , great writer's son in a neglected trunk over twenty years after his demise...we are grateful for the little gem.
July 16, 2018
what an fascinating novella that swayed my emotions and mood up and up and down
January 27, 2021
¡Qué descubrimiento! Me he estrenado con Eça de Queirós y me ha encantado.
Alves es el protagonista de una trama inesperada, a su regreso de la oficina se encuentra a su esposa en actitud comprometida con su socio. A partir de aquí veremos como se enfrenta no solo a la traición de las dos personas que más quiere sino que tendrá que cuidar su imagen social y evitar las habladurías.
Me encanta el tono irónico que utiliza Eça de Queirós, no solo sentimos lástima por el propio Alves sino que también sentimos vergüenza ajena por todas las locuras que se le pasan por la cabeza.
También he disfrutado mucho algunos personajes secundarios como sus amigos que dotan de un poco de cordura a la situación de Alves, su suegro que intenta sacar tajada de la situación o las dos criadas que tiene que no se molestan en trabajar.
Como curiosidad comentaros que la presente historia fue encontrada por el hijo de Eça de Queirós 25 años después del fallecimiento del escritor. Lo encontró de casualidad en un baúl o maletín cerrado con llave y procedió a corregirlo y darle forma para publicarlo en 1925.
Alves es el protagonista de una trama inesperada, a su regreso de la oficina se encuentra a su esposa en actitud comprometida con su socio. A partir de aquí veremos como se enfrenta no solo a la traición de las dos personas que más quiere sino que tendrá que cuidar su imagen social y evitar las habladurías.
Me encanta el tono irónico que utiliza Eça de Queirós, no solo sentimos lástima por el propio Alves sino que también sentimos vergüenza ajena por todas las locuras que se le pasan por la cabeza.
También he disfrutado mucho algunos personajes secundarios como sus amigos que dotan de un poco de cordura a la situación de Alves, su suegro que intenta sacar tajada de la situación o las dos criadas que tiene que no se molestan en trabajar.
Como curiosidad comentaros que la presente historia fue encontrada por el hijo de Eça de Queirós 25 años después del fallecimiento del escritor. Lo encontró de casualidad en un baúl o maletín cerrado con llave y procedió a corregirlo y darle forma para publicarlo en 1925.
August 6, 2018
Lê-se num ápice. O enredo é simples, mas a narrativa envolve.
A personagem principal, Godofedo - um comerciante com uma vida tranquila, rotineira, tendo ao seu lado uma esposa linda e apetecível - sofre um grande desgosto, um golpe que desmorona o seu mundo perfeito e arrumadinho. A procura da vingança, perdão, da reparação, vai-se lentamente transformando, num conformismo, num cansaço, numa aceitação da situação... Tudo se torna um pouco patético. A personagem, as suas exigências, as reações dos outros (menos do que as de Godofredo, ainda assim), o seu sofrimento... E, no entanto, torcemos para que o seu tormento termine, de uma forma ou de outra.
E Godofredo lá encontra um fim para o seu martírio... Um fim igualmente patético, claro!
Dei por mim a sorrir pelo absurdo de toda a situação... Pobre Godofredo!
A personagem principal, Godofedo - um comerciante com uma vida tranquila, rotineira, tendo ao seu lado uma esposa linda e apetecível - sofre um grande desgosto, um golpe que desmorona o seu mundo perfeito e arrumadinho. A procura da vingança, perdão, da reparação, vai-se lentamente transformando, num conformismo, num cansaço, numa aceitação da situação... Tudo se torna um pouco patético. A personagem, as suas exigências, as reações dos outros (menos do que as de Godofredo, ainda assim), o seu sofrimento... E, no entanto, torcemos para que o seu tormento termine, de uma forma ou de outra.
E Godofredo lá encontra um fim para o seu martírio... Um fim igualmente patético, claro!
Dei por mim a sorrir pelo absurdo de toda a situação... Pobre Godofredo!
March 17, 2013
My first novel by this Portuguese author and what a good surprise it has been to recognise some of the wit and irony altogether with a cunning message, similar to other famous authors styles such as Oscar Wilde.
Mr. Alves and Mr. Machado have been business partners for many years. But when Mr. Alves catches his beloved wife in a stolen embrace in the arms of his long time friend and partner, hell breaks loose and Alve's life tumbles down.
Always in an elegant and swift style improper of the time, De Queiroz manages to give a unique touch of humour to a mainly dramatic storyline, adding some deep worthy messages one should apply to live a happier and fuller life, and to make the best out of a bad situation.
Definitely advanced for his time.
Recommended.
Mr. Alves and Mr. Machado have been business partners for many years. But when Mr. Alves catches his beloved wife in a stolen embrace in the arms of his long time friend and partner, hell breaks loose and Alve's life tumbles down.
Always in an elegant and swift style improper of the time, De Queiroz manages to give a unique touch of humour to a mainly dramatic storyline, adding some deep worthy messages one should apply to live a happier and fuller life, and to make the best out of a bad situation.
Definitely advanced for his time.
Recommended.
December 4, 2020
Um livro divertido e repleto de humor. Machado lembra-me muito Ega d"Os maias", por ser um pouco mulherengo e ao mesmo tempo romântico. Alves demonstra ser um homem racional. E Godofredo é a personagem mais caricaturada da história. O detestei por ter ficado com a rapariga que Machado gostada... E o detestei mais por ter conseguido casar com ela, e tido alcançado sucesso. Acho que nunca detestei tanto uma personagem.
" Alves e Cª" é um livro muito acessível, e aconselho a todos que têm dificuldade em ler as obras de Eça. Pois ao contrário das suas outras obras este não é nada descritiva.
" Alves e Cª" é um livro muito acessível, e aconselho a todos que têm dificuldade em ler as obras de Eça. Pois ao contrário das suas outras obras este não é nada descritiva.
January 14, 2021
I am sure Eça de Queirós is a phenomenal Portuguese author. But I don't think I can judge him after reading only one novella; especially this one because I found it underwhelming.
It's a short, fast-paced read with no fancy language (at least, not in the English translation). It's a story that reflects the lifestyle of the elite class and how they deal with life's drama. It's particularly centred around a man named Godofredo, who feels a sense of betrayal as someone close to him has injured his feelings. It's a journey of how he deals with it and how he is supported by his good friends.
It's supposed to be hilarious. I did chuckle at a point or two, but nothing more. In fact, more than the story, I liked what the author son's wrote in the introduction (the novella was actually found after his father's death).
I don't know if I would recommend this to anyone. But if you have time to kill on a journey and you only have this novella to read, maybe it will save you from boredom.
It's a short, fast-paced read with no fancy language (at least, not in the English translation). It's a story that reflects the lifestyle of the elite class and how they deal with life's drama. It's particularly centred around a man named Godofredo, who feels a sense of betrayal as someone close to him has injured his feelings. It's a journey of how he deals with it and how he is supported by his good friends.
It's supposed to be hilarious. I did chuckle at a point or two, but nothing more. In fact, more than the story, I liked what the author son's wrote in the introduction (the novella was actually found after his father's death).
I don't know if I would recommend this to anyone. But if you have time to kill on a journey and you only have this novella to read, maybe it will save you from boredom.
December 4, 2020
Business partners. Always important part of doing business. But what happens when you come home on your anniversary to find your wife in the arms of your business partner? On your nice yellow sofa. A scandal!
Send your wife home to her father. Can you trust her? Can you trust your business partner again? My life is ruined. Another scandal!
My honour has been compromised. A duel, I say! Swords? Or Firearms?
Wait. Wouldn’t this duel be bad for business. Good lord, another scandal.
Ah, Eça de Queirós, only you could write a scandalously funny book about adultery.
Pôr causa duma grande tolice!
3.5 for the fun
Send your wife home to her father. Can you trust her? Can you trust your business partner again? My life is ruined. Another scandal!
My honour has been compromised. A duel, I say! Swords? Or Firearms?
Wait. Wouldn’t this duel be bad for business. Good lord, another scandal.
Ah, Eça de Queirós, only you could write a scandalously funny book about adultery.
Pôr causa duma grande tolice!
3.5 for the fun
August 23, 2023
Opinião em breve.
February 24, 2019
Divertida e curta obra de Eça de Queirós. Uma comédia de costumes que data da virada do século XIX para o XX e que retrata os novos arranjos sociais e familiares, calcados sobre a praticidade e conveniência em lugar do sentimentalismo.
Apesar de sua verve caricatural, ‘Alves & Cia.’ é extremamente atual no que diz respeito à necessidade que temos de conciliar um desempenho nada menos do que perfeito em nossos diversos papeis públicos (trabalhador, empresário, cidadão, consumidor…) e privados (família, amigo, ego…).
Trata-se de um livro leve e curto — uma excelente porta de entrada para o universo de Eça de Queirós preenchido de obras como ‘O Primo Basílio’, ‘O Crime do Padre Amaro’, ‘Os Maias’ e ‘A Cidade e as Serras’.
Apesar de sua verve caricatural, ‘Alves & Cia.’ é extremamente atual no que diz respeito à necessidade que temos de conciliar um desempenho nada menos do que perfeito em nossos diversos papeis públicos (trabalhador, empresário, cidadão, consumidor…) e privados (família, amigo, ego…).
Trata-se de um livro leve e curto — uma excelente porta de entrada para o universo de Eça de Queirós preenchido de obras como ‘O Primo Basílio’, ‘O Crime do Padre Amaro’, ‘Os Maias’ e ‘A Cidade e as Serras’.
November 14, 2017
My first foray into Portuguese literature. This is some mighty fine storytelling. No fluff, no nonsense, just a really good story about betrayal, forgiveness and friendship that had me chuckling in some parts. It's quite short, more of a novella, so a good introduction to de Queiros' works. I will most likely be reading more.
June 23, 2022
3,5*
O final foi insatisfatório. Ainda não percebi bem qual foi a intenção do Eça, estava à espera de algo mais crítico e punitivo. De qualquer forma, o final que eu queria pode estar subentendido. Resta-me escolher com qual das duas abordagens irei ficar e o Eça que me perdoe.
O final foi insatisfatório. Ainda não percebi bem qual foi a intenção do Eça, estava à espera de algo mais crítico e punitivo. De qualquer forma, o final que eu queria pode estar subentendido. Resta-me escolher com qual das duas abordagens irei ficar e o Eça que me perdoe.
June 30, 2024
real livro do corno
March 30, 2024
No sé si es mérito de los traductores, pero qué bien envejece el estilo de Eça de Queirós.
December 4, 2025
Depois dum ou dois livros que me aborreceram mais ou menos fico muitas vezes com “ressaca literária “ .
O melhor antídoto é ler um clássico.
Por alguma razão chegaram até hoje .
Uma delícia ler Eça 200 anos depois .
Este é um livro pequeno mas divertido, mordaz , e… pasme-se … até se pode considerar moderno .
A mulher serve para organizar a casa, ser fiel ao marido e se não for…. até se fecham os olhos .
Outros tempos .
“- Não há motivo! Não há motivo!
Então qual é o motivo bastante para que dois homens se matem?…
- Um escarro na cara, ou uma coisa dessas - disse Medeiros com autoridade.”
Uma delícia !!!!
O melhor antídoto é ler um clássico.
Por alguma razão chegaram até hoje .
Uma delícia ler Eça 200 anos depois .
Este é um livro pequeno mas divertido, mordaz , e… pasme-se … até se pode considerar moderno .
A mulher serve para organizar a casa, ser fiel ao marido e se não for…. até se fecham os olhos .
Outros tempos .
“- Não há motivo! Não há motivo!
Então qual é o motivo bastante para que dois homens se matem?…
- Um escarro na cara, ou uma coisa dessas - disse Medeiros com autoridade.”
Uma delícia !!!!
Read
December 3, 2021Gostei mais deste pequeno livro do que estava á espera. Muito boa leitura.
April 19, 2009
Ésta es la historia de un hombre ridículo que no quería hacer el ridículo. Un día Godofredo da Conceiçao Alves vuelve a casa del trabajo antes de lo habitual porque es su aniversario de bodas y quiere dar una sorpresa a su mujer, pero la sorpresa se la lleva él cuando la sorprende cometiendo adulterio. Esto es una deshonra. Aquí se tiene que derramar sangre. Tiene que morir el amante o el marido, pero los dos no pueden seguir viviendo. Se estila un duelo, pero los preparativos para celebrar un duelo siempre son complicados y las cosas no salen como estaba previsto, pero al final todo acaba bien.
Con apenas 125 páginas, Eça de Queirós a partir de una anécdota trivial hace un amplio retrato de la sociedad burguesa y su presunta dignidad y su más que probada hipocresía. Está lejos de otros tours de force suyos como 'El cimen del padre Amaro', 'El Primo Basilio' o 'Los Maia' (todos ellos obras maestras), pero 'Alves y Compañía' es una pequeña joya. Tampoco tiene tanta amargura como estas magnas obras citadas, pero sí que tiene una ironía incisiva que es una delicia. También se distancia de otras historias decimonónicas sobre adulterios, porque aquí no hay villanos ni grandes pasiones, sino simplemente personajes grises, vidas banales y sentimientos pusilánimes. Eça de Queirós es tan moderno que nunca deja de sorprenderme. Y escribe de una forma tan elegante, con un sentido del humor tan punzante y con un aire entre jocoso y desencantado que leerlo es un placer.
Con apenas 125 páginas, Eça de Queirós a partir de una anécdota trivial hace un amplio retrato de la sociedad burguesa y su presunta dignidad y su más que probada hipocresía. Está lejos de otros tours de force suyos como 'El cimen del padre Amaro', 'El Primo Basilio' o 'Los Maia' (todos ellos obras maestras), pero 'Alves y Compañía' es una pequeña joya. Tampoco tiene tanta amargura como estas magnas obras citadas, pero sí que tiene una ironía incisiva que es una delicia. También se distancia de otras historias decimonónicas sobre adulterios, porque aquí no hay villanos ni grandes pasiones, sino simplemente personajes grises, vidas banales y sentimientos pusilánimes. Eça de Queirós es tan moderno que nunca deja de sorprenderme. Y escribe de una forma tan elegante, con un sentido del humor tan punzante y con un aire entre jocoso y desencantado que leerlo es un placer.
January 28, 2017
(Perhaps I could have read him in spanish?)
A very nicely written novella. Apparently he was of the same calibre as Flaubert. It has definitely made me want to read more of his works.
A very nicely written novella. Apparently he was of the same calibre as Flaubert. It has definitely made me want to read more of his works.
May 22, 2021
Não estava à espera de mergulhar numa sátira queirosiana tão divertida quanto esta.
Este é um livro pequeno, extremamente acessível e aborda um dos temas mais comuns de alguns dos livros do autor: adultério.
Acima de tudo, não esperava, em tão poucas páginas, ficar completamente imersa nesta história. A escrita de Eça, como sempre , é irrepreensível e consegue criar uma atmosfera excepcional de Lisboa, burlesca e boémia.
Apreciei verdadeiramente a forma como o autor abordou a inércia humana e o orgulho ferido dos homens da época, a dor lidar com uma traição amorosa e a forma como a mulher era facilmente descartada. No entanto, esteve sempre envolto numa aura de romantismo tradicional.
Este livro contrasta imenso com o “O Primo Basílio” pois, apesar do tema principal ser exatamente o mesmo, este livro não cai no pesado drama e enredo trágico. Recheado de bom humor e uma comédia inteligente, envolve-nos numa narrativa fluida, leve e bem-disposta.
Na verdade, esta é mais uma das obras do autor repleta da tão típica de crítica social intemporal e que realça a falsa moralidade burguesa.
Recomendo imenso a quem procura uma obra mais leve e menos descritiva do autor, ou quem simplesmente procura uma tarde bem passada.
Este é um livro pequeno, extremamente acessível e aborda um dos temas mais comuns de alguns dos livros do autor: adultério.
Acima de tudo, não esperava, em tão poucas páginas, ficar completamente imersa nesta história. A escrita de Eça, como sempre , é irrepreensível e consegue criar uma atmosfera excepcional de Lisboa, burlesca e boémia.
Apreciei verdadeiramente a forma como o autor abordou a inércia humana e o orgulho ferido dos homens da época, a dor lidar com uma traição amorosa e a forma como a mulher era facilmente descartada. No entanto, esteve sempre envolto numa aura de romantismo tradicional.
Este livro contrasta imenso com o “O Primo Basílio” pois, apesar do tema principal ser exatamente o mesmo, este livro não cai no pesado drama e enredo trágico. Recheado de bom humor e uma comédia inteligente, envolve-nos numa narrativa fluida, leve e bem-disposta.
Na verdade, esta é mais uma das obras do autor repleta da tão típica de crítica social intemporal e que realça a falsa moralidade burguesa.
Recomendo imenso a quem procura uma obra mais leve e menos descritiva do autor, ou quem simplesmente procura uma tarde bem passada.
March 21, 2018
Genial =)
July 20, 2023
Quem é que o Eça traiu para estar a passar tanto pano a esta aleivosia? :o traicioneirooo aposto que ofereceu este livro à pessoa que cuspiu na cara
November 19, 2016
Y la vida continuó, banal y corriente, tal como es. (115)
Quizás la mejor consecuencia de la saturación romántica, de los werthers pululantes en las plazas de los siglos xviii y xix bajo licencia de poema, viaje, y cafetín, son esas novelas escritas como la contracara del héroe delirante, donde, con mayor o menor grado de sarcasmo, se le desnuda de sus ideales (fácil desarme por estar estos, los más de los casos, sostenidos sólo en el deseo sin la acción) y se presentan situaciones en las cuales vemos aparecer otro hombre: quizás más desencantado, más práctico, encarnación de una humanidad sin hipérboles, y, no por eso, menos grandiosa.
Alves & C.ª narra la historia de Godofredo Alves, tratante de comercio, quien el día de su aniversario de bodas descubre a su esposa, Ludovina, en brazos de su socio (y algo así como su protegido) Machado. Con los ingredientes propicios para explotar una crisis romántica, donde palabras del tamaño el honor cobrarían su peso en sangre, propone Eça de Queirós un melodrama divertido, a través del cuál nos sumergirá en los pensamientos de Alves, sus dudas, sus miedos, sus infantiles caprichos.
La novela, corta y narrada sin mayores artificios, se puede leer en la pausa de la siesta, y, si el lector lo permite, consigue cultivar una sonrisa: no irónica, no cargada de cinismo aleccionador ni de pesimismo necesario. Una sonrisa cálida, de humana identificación.
Porque en De Queirós hay que admirar (y también en Unamuno, y en Carrasquilla, y en tantos otros que ejercieron un realismo liberador) el modo mediante el cual consigue respetar a sus personajes. No importa cuán absurdas, cuán patéticas sean las situaciones generadas a lo largo de la prosa, ni que tanto nos abismemos en la cobardía, la mediocridad, la avaricia o el fracaso, el narrador consigue empatizar y, al hacerlo, conquista también nuestra empatía. Con lo humano, con lo imperfectamente humano de su creación y del mundo.
Y ahí, en ese reconocimiento, hay muchas veces más sabiduría, más propuestas de progreso, que en todos los trucos de vanguardia enarbolados inútilmente por los narradores contemporáneos.
Es alegre leer novelas así. En cierta medida regalan optimismo: un prisma con el cual mirar el mundo y entender la presencia, por partes desiguales, de oprobio y encanto.
El milagroso valor de las pequeñas vidas corrientes y sus portentosas hazañas.
August 8, 2008
This was a curious find for me- Found it while wandering through the library stacks. The description compared it to Flaubert, so I decided to give it a try- I had never heard of Eça de Queirós, but now I know he is a preëminent Portuguese novelist- I will be looking for more of his works.
The Yellow Sofa takes on the theme of infidelity and its aftermath. Alves (the main character) catches his wife and business partner in a romantic embrace. The rest of the novel is about Alves's reaction to the discovery. Unlike some other novels written around the same time: Effi Briest, Madame Bovary; no one character is victimized or villanized. The conclusions that Alves attain are pretty straight-forward and thought through, and the language of the novel fits with the subject.
Eça de Queirós set out to write a few sketches/novels where there are: "no digressions, no rhetoric, no philosophising: everything interesting and dramatic and quickly narrated." With the Yellow Sofa, he was very successful.
The Yellow Sofa takes on the theme of infidelity and its aftermath. Alves (the main character) catches his wife and business partner in a romantic embrace. The rest of the novel is about Alves's reaction to the discovery. Unlike some other novels written around the same time: Effi Briest, Madame Bovary; no one character is victimized or villanized. The conclusions that Alves attain are pretty straight-forward and thought through, and the language of the novel fits with the subject.
Eça de Queirós set out to write a few sketches/novels where there are: "no digressions, no rhetoric, no philosophising: everything interesting and dramatic and quickly narrated." With the Yellow Sofa, he was very successful.
August 1, 2019
Um discreto caso de adultério feminino no seio da burguesia lisboeta, em que todos acabam reconciliados e felizes.
January 2, 2023
Um livro bem curtinho mas com uma história bem envolvente. Godofredo Alves trabalha numa firma com o seu amigo e sócio Machado. Logo no início da história, Godofredo descobre que a sua mulher, Ludovina, está tendo um caso com Machado. E pior, descobre isso no dia do aniversário de casamento. O que vemos a seguir é como Godofredo reage a toda esta situação e como os seus sentimentos oscilam da vergonha a raiva, da raiva a tristeza/desgosto. Além de não saber lidar com esses sentimentos, Godofredo está muito mais preocupado em como a sociedade vai reagir a toda esta história (e o que vão pensar dele e da mulher). A história possui diálogos fascinantes, como os de Godofredo com o pai de Ludovina e com seus amigos Nunes Vidal e Cunha. A forma como tentam "racionalizar" toda esta situação é excelente. Eça mais uma vez mostra muita ironia no seu texto e faz uma crítica bem humorada a sociedade portuguesa do fim do século XIX. Vale a pena a leitura.
June 10, 2022
As the introduction said, it's a straightforward story that is hilarious. Sometimes it's nice to read to see a plot and how people respond, versus searching for metaphors fo extensed connections to the human condition.
He quite accurately describes the million ideas/feelings/impulses that rage through your body and mind during chaotic/traumatic events. I mean, we've all thought of horribly embarrassing ways to solve problems only to learn how stupid it is to say it out loud to your friends. Lol.
The ending felt rush or unfinished or something was off. I expexted more? That being said, this work was found in a box not really intended to go anywhere so I can sorta overlook those faults.
He quite accurately describes the million ideas/feelings/impulses that rage through your body and mind during chaotic/traumatic events. I mean, we've all thought of horribly embarrassing ways to solve problems only to learn how stupid it is to say it out loud to your friends. Lol.
The ending felt rush or unfinished or something was off. I expexted more? That being said, this work was found in a box not really intended to go anywhere so I can sorta overlook those faults.
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