''A Sucessora'' is a novel written by the Brazilian writer

Carolina Nabuco Carolina Nabuco, born Maria Carolina Nabuco de Araújo (February 9, 1890 – August 18, 1981), was a Brazilian writer and translator. In 1978, Carolina received the Machado de Assis Award, from the Brazilian Academy of Letters, for her work as a ...

. It was first published in 1934 and was later adapted into the 1978 telenovela ''

A Sucessora ''A Sucessora'' is a novel written by the Brazilian writer Carolina Nabuco. It was first published in 1934 and was later adapted into the 1978 telenovela ''A Sucessora (telenovela), A Sucessora''. Synopsis The story revolves around the characte ...

''.

Synopsis

The story revolves around the character of Mariana, a young woman who has married the widower Roberto Steen. As Mariana attempts to acclimatise to her new marriage and responsibilities, she discovers that Steen's dead wife, Alice, still seems to have a hold over the household.

Controversy

''A Sucessora'' received international attention after the publication of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

's 1938 novel ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'', which presented striking similarities to Nabuco's novel. Critic Álvaro Lins remarked in 1941 that there was little difference between the two novels. In the wake of the film, ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' published an article highlighting the novels' many similarities prompting du Maurier to rebuff claims of plagiarism in a

Letter to the Editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a Letter (message), letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through ...

, where she wrote that she had not heard of Nabuco or ''A Sucessora'' until the previous year. Du Maurier's publishers also denied any intentional similarities between the two works, although Nabuco herself believed that her work had been plagiarized and there were claims that du Maurier's publisher intentionally gave her a copy of Nabuco's manuscript. Nabuco also claimed that producers of the theatrical version of ''Rebecca'' came to her with a contract that would state that the similarities between the two books were coincidental and that she would be "compensated with a quantity described as 'of considerable value'" if she signed.Tiger in a Lifeboat, Panther in a Lifeboat: A Furor Over a Novel
New York Times

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sucessora 1934 Brazilian novels