''Dom Casmurro'' is an 1899 novel written by
Brazilian author
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short stor ...
. Like ''
The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas'' and ''
Quincas Borba Quincas may refer to:
* Quincas Borba, a novel written in 1891 by the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis
* Joaquim Albino (1931), generally known as ''Quincas'', Brazilian footballer (Canto do Rio, Fluminense, Palmeiras)
{{disambig ...
'', both by Machado de Assis, it is widely regarded as a
masterpiece
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
of
realist literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
. It is written as a
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
al
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...
by a distrusting, jealous husband. The
narrator
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
, however, is not a
reliable conveyor of the story as it is a dark
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
. Dom Casmurro is considered by critic
Afranio Coutinho "a true Brazilian masterpiece, and maybe Brazil's greatest representative piece of writing" and "one of the best books ever written in the
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...
, if not the best one to date." The author is considered a master of
Brazilian literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
with a unique style of realism.
Adaptations
In 1998, Fernando Sabino published the novel ''Amor de Capitu''. In this version, the narrative was rewritten in
third person
Third person, or third-person, may refer to:
* Third person (grammar), a point of view (in English, ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''they'')
** Illeism, the act of referring to oneself in the third person
* Third-person narrative, a perspective in p ...
.
A
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
adaptation was made in 2012 by
Mario Cau and Felipe Greco. This comic won the 2013
Prêmio Jabuti
The Prêmio Jabuti (the "Tortoise Prize") is the most traditional literary award in Brazil, given by the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL). It was conceived by Edgard Cavalheiro in 1959 when he presided over the CBL, with the interest of rewarding autho ...
(the most traditional Brazilian literary award) in "best illustration" and "best school related book" categories
References
Sources
*
Machado de Assis, Joaquim Maria ''Dom Casmurro'' (1953) Translated by Helen Caldwell. London:
W. H. Allen.
* Salomon, Geanneti Tavares. 2021. ''Fashion and Irony in «Dom Casmurro».'' New York: Peter Lang.
External links
MetaLibri Digital Library's ''Dom Casmurro''
{{authority control
1899 novels
adultery in novels
fiction with unreliable narrators
novels by Machado de Assis
Portuguese-language novels