I studied Machado for more than 10 years in masters's and doctors's. I'm not saying this to brag or anything (because I'm aware that by evolking titles I may sound or actually become like one of his caciratures), but what I can say fore certain is that this book is much much deeper that it seems at first. Why? Because one of the things Machado is doing by writing it is stablishing a sort of dialogue with the history of Western ideas. So he pokes fun at Greeks, 18th and 19th centuries thinkers and their ideas (Comte, Shopenhauer, racionalists, monists, etc.). One of the things I studied about is how he pokes fun at phylosophical notions of nature and how they are used to stablish and maintain power. Most of the times Brás Cubas does something wrong/unethical he evokes nature, like it's human nature's fault and not his own. And there's one thing everyone who studies Machado knows for a fact: everytime the narrator sounds silly or dismisses himself as shallow, that's when there's something really deep behind it. Pay attention, for exemple, to the relation between Eugenia, her physical deformity and poverty, and the black butterfly. If you haven't made the connetions yet, it will blow your mind if you do. Her deformity may even (most likely) be an ironic reference to what Shopenhauer says about physical deformity and lust vs love
Wow! Thank you for this insightful comment. After the Magic Mountain, this is the top book I am considering doing a longer/scripted video essay on at some point. You've given me a lot to think about here when I get to rereading it and analyzing it. I always worry that when I love a book this much, returning to it won't hold the same magic, but knowing that there is so much more to dig into has dispelled those fears for this novel. Feel free to reach out to my email listed in in my channel description if you'd like to discuss further or pass along a list of further reading or articles that you've found helpful in your own studies. If/when I get around to making a video essay, I'd like to be as thorough as possible, this book deserves it!
In Brazil there is an unexplainable preference for "Dom Casmurro", but "Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas" is, by far, the best work from Machado de Assis. I'm very happy with its success in US.
Great review. I also enjoy this translation. It was so fun that I go back to it regularly. It was funny quirky passionate thoughtful and never overstayed its welcome. Spoiler: really liked the note he read from Virgilia telling him to meet by where the stone wall was shorter 😂😂
Thank you! This book is full of surprising and unexpectedly funny moments like that! I think it's the first novel I've read that i could say fits any mood at any time.
What a beautiful commentary on a book! Thank you. I read The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas more than 20 years ago, in the original language, and I have forgotten many things, but listening to and seeing you speak was like experiencing an old pleasure for the first time. The pleasure of reading Machado de Assis, I believe, is the most important. His short story books are also very good. But, returning to Brás Cubas, we laugh while reading, sometimes we laugh out loud, and I have only had a similar experience reading Cervantes. Without a doubt, this is the size and height of Machado. His use of the second person, in fact, is something very rare to find in reading other authors; I found your perception of this quite accurate. I also thank you for speaking such good English, because I am a man of only one language and I have to resort to automatic translators, whose product is better or worse depending on the grammar of the original text. For the same reason, I do not know what kind of English you will receive. Good God! I need to explain everything. I must finish, hugs, reader.
@@rsilva1287 Thank you and I am happy I could bring that back for you. I am actually even more fascinated with Quincas Borba, though I definitely do think Posthumous Memoirs should be read first.
@@mikereadstheworld Wow! You never stop... I also read Quincas a long time ago, and I only remember that I liked it. I believe this is where the fable is told that ends with the phrase "To the victor, the potatoes". It gave rise to the title of a famous essay by literary critic Roberto Schwarz, who also wrote "A master on the periphery of capitalism". Also, if you'll allow me, I recommend reading the short stories "A cartomante", "A igreja do diabo" and "A carteira".
@rsilva1287 One of the best things about Quincas Borba is how it hides what is actually happening. A story was progressing but I didn't understand the big picture of what was happening until the end. It is one of the trickiest and most artful novels written and underappreciated I think. Or maybe I'm just slow...
@@mikereadstheworld Well, at least you understood everything in the end. And since I don't remember what you're saying, this is yet another work that you encourage me to reread. Not now, because I'm busy reading Resurrection, his first novel published in 1872, because of a phrase of his that I saw graffitied on a wall in Rio de Janeiro: "Each one knows how to love in his own way; the way doesn't matter; the essential thing is that he knows how to love." It's not as good as the other novels published after 1880, like Brás Cubas, but I think I'll read it to the end because in Resurrection we can already see Machado's great qualities: conciseness, a taste for aphorisms, delving into the souls of the characters, ironic comments, a lot of attention to money, philosophies.
Well done! You are the first non-Portuguese speaking booktuber who got the pronunciation of the author's name right. Your pronunciation of "Machado de Assis" was perfect. Thank you also for your brilliant review!
"A man's lip is not like the hoof of Attila's horse, which sterilized the ground on which it struck; it's just the opposite." My favorite sentence, i still remember laughing so hard that i couldn't keep reading.
Mike's manager, congratulations on the video, listening here from Brazil and since I was young I have read the works of our academy president, Mr. Machado de Assis, the Immortal president Allow me to recommend another work by Machado called Esau and Jacob. Regardions,
I just finished my first novel, and as Brazilian, I used a lot of Machado as inspiration. I know and love this book since High School, when school made me read it - a little, maybe the only, good thing they did. You should try the “spin-pff” novel Quincas Borba.
Hello Mike. You should also read Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis. It´s a masterpiece. In Brasil, we have an exam called Enem (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio), which could be translated into English as Nacional High School Exam or something like that. This exam is required by public universities here in Brasil and you have to read the Machado's books in order to attempt it and get a good score on it. We have to read his books during the High school season. By the way, I also encourage you to read Clarice Lispector. She is a Brazilian-Ukrainian writer who is simply amazing. Greetings from Brasil.
Interesting! Good to know he is still highly valued in his home country. I do have a video on Clarice Lispector's "Hora da estrela" and have another of her books I plan to read soon. I will also be reading more Machado de Assis when the new translations in English come out in July.
@mikereadstheworld thank you Mike. I really appreciate it. I don't know if you know but there is a video on internet from an American teacher talking about this book from Machado de Assis. She said it was the greatest book she ever read. Now she is famous in Brasil. It happened just some days ago. lol
@@roberto.coelho Maybe that's why this video suddenly blew up then? It went from 300 views to more than 2k in just a few days and I had no idea why 🤣 I also think it's one of the best books ever written.
@mikereadstheworld ua-cam.com/video/6B1SlNyj1n8/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared Here you can see some news about this woman at CNN Brasil. They are saying that due to this American teacher The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas is the most selling book at USA Amazon!!!
Great review! Machado de Assis is an author we "must" read in High School years. A lot of teenagers do not like, It is a fact and most of us who like It started after those years! Feel welcome in my booktube! From São Paulo/SP - Brasil Samantha!
Obrigado! That's usually how it goes, books we are forced to read can only be appreciated after we forget them or others passion for them shows us how to love them 😀
@@mikereadstheworld Thanks Mike! Glad you answered! It is all true!!! I will see others reviews that you make and if I can suggest another brazilian author, try "Graciliano Ramos". He is from northeast and wrote a lot around 1950! Think you will like It! Best wishes from here! Samantha!
Great letter, great review! It's interesting how a mediocre character can be a witty narrator at the same time in such a way that we want to hear/read his story more and more. It's also true that Machado's dark/light humor made me laugh most of the time but the end of the novel was definitely... devastating!
Agreed, it was only months later that I really thought about those final paragraphs of the novel, and how Bras Cubas retreating into his own indifference his whole life may have lead to his view on things in the end. This stands out much more on a second read through.
In fact, Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery. But the plan was to do it slowly so that it wouldn't cause a civil war. As it happened in the US.
@@mikereadstheworldNevermind that passive-aggressive comment. There are many in Brazil that believe we actually needed a civil war to cement our national identity and unity, just like it happened in the US. In the end, though, it’s just like you said: we should be glad that it is abolished in both countries.
@@LopezzT I can only think that the above comment was made by a Brazilian, who could well be a character from Machado de Assis, with the difference that he would later add: "The plan for the slow abolition of slavery has the additional advantage of preserving jobs on the coffee plantations." Even so, when abolition finally happened, some discontented landowners decided to blame the emperor and put in place a "Republic of the Sword" commanded by military personnel that lasted 40 years, which perhaps passed more slowly than five years of civil war.
@@mikereadstheworld Which also makes me think that the Brazilian ruling class, of which Brás Cubas is a faithful exemplar, does everything it does late, slowly and lazily. This is the only explanation for someone starting to write their memoirs after they are dead.
I studied Machado for more than 10 years in masters's and doctors's. I'm not saying this to brag or anything (because I'm aware that by evolking titles I may sound or actually become like one of his caciratures), but what I can say fore certain is that this book is much much deeper that it seems at first. Why? Because one of the things Machado is doing by writing it is stablishing a sort of dialogue with the history of Western ideas. So he pokes fun at Greeks, 18th and 19th centuries thinkers and their ideas (Comte, Shopenhauer, racionalists, monists, etc.). One of the things I studied about is how he pokes fun at phylosophical notions of nature and how they are used to stablish and maintain power. Most of the times Brás Cubas does something wrong/unethical he evokes nature, like it's human nature's fault and not his own. And there's one thing everyone who studies Machado knows for a fact: everytime the narrator sounds silly or dismisses himself as shallow, that's when there's something really deep behind it. Pay attention, for exemple, to the relation between Eugenia, her physical deformity and poverty, and the black butterfly. If you haven't made the connetions yet, it will blow your mind if you do. Her deformity may even (most likely) be an ironic reference to what Shopenhauer says about physical deformity and lust vs love
Wow! Thank you for this insightful comment. After the Magic Mountain, this is the top book I am considering doing a longer/scripted video essay on at some point. You've given me a lot to think about here when I get to rereading it and analyzing it. I always worry that when I love a book this much, returning to it won't hold the same magic, but knowing that there is so much more to dig into has dispelled those fears for this novel. Feel free to reach out to my email listed in in my channel description if you'd like to discuss further or pass along a list of further reading or articles that you've found helpful in your own studies. If/when I get around to making a video essay, I'd like to be as thorough as possible, this book deserves it!
@@mikereadstheworldread other books of Machado de Assis, you will like very much
In Brazil there is an unexplainable preference for "Dom Casmurro", but "Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas" is, by far, the best work from Machado de Assis. I'm very happy with its success in US.
Fantastic author! The more you learn about Machado the more brilliant he becomes. Truly a man centuries ahead of his time
Can't wait to read more of his work!
Great review. I also enjoy this translation. It was so fun that I go back to it regularly. It was funny quirky passionate thoughtful and never overstayed its welcome.
Spoiler: really liked the note he read from Virgilia telling him to meet by where the stone wall was shorter 😂😂
Thank you! This book is full of surprising and unexpectedly funny moments like that! I think it's the first novel I've read that i could say fits any mood at any time.
Obrigado por mostrar a obra de Machado de Assis para os que lêem em inglês! Sensacional!
What a beautiful commentary on a book! Thank you. I read The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas more than 20 years ago, in the original language, and I have forgotten many things, but listening to and seeing you speak was like experiencing an old pleasure for the first time. The pleasure of reading Machado de Assis, I believe, is the most important. His short story books are also very good. But, returning to Brás Cubas, we laugh while reading, sometimes we laugh out loud, and I have only had a similar experience reading Cervantes. Without a doubt, this is the size and height of Machado. His use of the second person, in fact, is something very rare to find in reading other authors; I found your perception of this quite accurate. I also thank you for speaking such good English, because I am a man of only one language and I have to resort to automatic translators, whose product is better or worse depending on the grammar of the original text. For the same reason, I do not know what kind of English you will receive. Good God! I need to explain everything. I must finish, hugs, reader.
@@rsilva1287 Thank you and I am happy I could bring that back for you. I am actually even more fascinated with Quincas Borba, though I definitely do think Posthumous Memoirs should be read first.
@@mikereadstheworld Wow! You never stop... I also read Quincas a long time ago, and I only remember that I liked it. I believe this is where the fable is told that ends with the phrase "To the victor, the potatoes". It gave rise to the title of a famous essay by literary critic Roberto Schwarz, who also wrote "A master on the periphery of capitalism". Also, if you'll allow me, I recommend reading the short stories "A cartomante", "A igreja do diabo" and "A carteira".
@rsilva1287 One of the best things about Quincas Borba is how it hides what is actually happening. A story was progressing but I didn't understand the big picture of what was happening until the end. It is one of the trickiest and most artful novels written and underappreciated I think. Or maybe I'm just slow...
@@mikereadstheworld Well, at least you understood everything in the end. And since I don't remember what you're saying, this is yet another work that you encourage me to reread. Not now, because I'm busy reading Resurrection, his first novel published in 1872, because of a phrase of his that I saw graffitied on a wall in Rio de Janeiro: "Each one knows how to love in his own way; the way doesn't matter; the essential thing is that he knows how to love." It's not as good as the other novels published after 1880, like Brás Cubas, but I think I'll read it to the end because in Resurrection we can already see Machado's great qualities: conciseness, a taste for aphorisms, delving into the souls of the characters, ironic comments, a lot of attention to money, philosophies.
What a great review Mike!! As a brazilian, I read this book when I was teenager, and heard about now with a foreigner perspective its refreshing 😊
Thank you! There are some new translations of Machado de Assis's other books coming in English soon which I will be buying instantly.
@@mikereadstheworld that's awesome! I will wait for your review
Well done!
You are the first non-Portuguese speaking booktuber who got the pronunciation of the author's name right.
Your pronunciation of "Machado de Assis" was perfect.
Thank you also for your brilliant review!
Thank you!
Bras Cuba agora está popular na Amazon
Como deveria sempre ter sido. Só acho triste que nós brasileiros tenhamos que ser lembrados quão incrível ele era pelos gringos.
Quincas Borba is an iconic character too. He is also the protagonist of one of MA's book. FYI 😊
Ai sim
Loved your review. Greets from Brazil
"A man's lip is not like the hoof of Attila's horse, which sterilized the ground on which it struck; it's just the opposite."
My favorite sentence, i still remember laughing so hard that i couldn't keep reading.
Think about it, laugh uncontrollably, think about it more, existential horror, think about it a little more, appreciation of genius.
One of my favorite books
I subbed when you gushed over Clarice now I see this! You have great taste, my friend
Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen!
Mike's manager, congratulations on the video, listening here from Brazil and since I was young I have read the works of our academy president, Mr. Machado de Assis, the Immortal president
Allow me to recommend another work by Machado called Esau and Jacob.
Regardions,
I just finished my first novel, and as Brazilian, I used a lot of Machado as inspiration. I know and love this book since High School, when school made me read it - a little, maybe the only, good thing they did. You should try the “spin-pff” novel Quincas Borba.
I will absolutely be reading Quincas Borba and Dom Casmurro. New english translations will be released in July, can't wait! Best to you on your novel!
@@mikereadstheworld Dom Casmurro is the best!!
Great review, Mike...keep reading the world!
favourite review of yours so far, thanks so much for your thoughts and dedication
Much appreciated! Thank you for watching!
Hello Mike. You should also read Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis. It´s a masterpiece. In Brasil, we have an exam called Enem (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio), which could be translated into English as Nacional High School Exam or something like that. This exam is required by public universities here in Brasil and you have to read the Machado's books in order to attempt it and get a good score on it. We have to read his books during the High school season. By the way, I also encourage you to read Clarice Lispector. She is a Brazilian-Ukrainian writer who is simply amazing. Greetings from Brasil.
Interesting! Good to know he is still highly valued in his home country. I do have a video on Clarice Lispector's "Hora da estrela" and have another of her books I plan to read soon. I will also be reading more Machado de Assis when the new translations in English come out in July.
@mikereadstheworld thank you Mike. I really appreciate it. I don't know if you know but there is a video on internet from an American teacher talking about this book from Machado de Assis. She said it was the greatest book she ever read. Now she is famous in Brasil. It happened just some days ago. lol
@@roberto.coelho Maybe that's why this video suddenly blew up then? It went from 300 views to more than 2k in just a few days and I had no idea why 🤣 I also think it's one of the best books ever written.
@mikereadstheworld ua-cam.com/video/6B1SlNyj1n8/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
Here you can see some news about this woman at CNN Brasil. They are saying that due to this American teacher The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas is the most selling book at USA Amazon!!!
@@roberto.coelho That's great, I'm so happy more people are reading him!
What a great review!!!❤
Great review!
Machado de Assis is an author we "must" read in High School years.
A lot of teenagers do not like, It is a fact and most of us who like It started after those years!
Feel welcome in my booktube!
From São Paulo/SP - Brasil
Samantha!
Obrigado! That's usually how it goes, books we are forced to read can only be appreciated after we forget them or others passion for them shows us how to love them 😀
@@mikereadstheworld Thanks Mike! Glad you answered! It is all true!!!
I will see others reviews that you make and if I can suggest another brazilian author, try "Graciliano Ramos". He is from northeast and wrote a lot around 1950! Think you will like It!
Best wishes from here!
Samantha!
Great letter, great review! It's interesting how a mediocre character can be a witty narrator at the same time in such a way that we want to hear/read his story more and more. It's also true that Machado's dark/light humor made me laugh most of the time but the end of the novel was definitely... devastating!
Agreed, it was only months later that I really thought about those final paragraphs of the novel, and how Bras Cubas retreating into his own indifference his whole life may have lead to his view on things in the end. This stands out much more on a second read through.
OMG!!! My suggestion for you is try the translation made by Flora Thompson Devaux. She made a really extraordinary work!!!
I have looked over that translation, also good. I think next time I'll go for the original language!
Loooved this.review
The friend has his own book. Quincas Borba is my favorite Machado de Assis work. You can find it in english. I recomend it
I liked your letter
Imagino se você tivesse tido o prazer de lê-lo em Português.
Estou planeando isso! Eu farei isso algum dia
I understand why you're speechless at times.
Sou brasileira, e para nós é uma das leituras da nossa literatura mais difíceis de se interpretar,assim como Camões
Wow, for some reason I'm extremely moved by your letter
Vendam todos a Brasil aprender português 😊
In fact, Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery. But the plan was to do it slowly so that it wouldn't cause a civil war. As it happened in the US.
Well, however it got done, I am glad it is abolished in both countries.
@@mikereadstheworldNevermind that passive-aggressive comment. There are many in Brazil that believe we actually needed a civil war to cement our national identity and unity, just like it happened in the US. In the end, though, it’s just like you said: we should be glad that it is abolished in both countries.
@@LopezzT I can only think that the above comment was made by a Brazilian, who could well be a character from Machado de Assis, with the difference that he would later add: "The plan for the slow abolition of slavery has the additional advantage of preserving jobs on the coffee plantations." Even so, when abolition finally happened, some discontented landowners decided to blame the emperor and put in place a "Republic of the Sword" commanded by military personnel that lasted 40 years, which perhaps passed more slowly than five years of civil war.
@@mikereadstheworld Which also makes me think that the Brazilian ruling class, of which Brás Cubas is a faithful exemplar, does everything it does late, slowly and lazily. This is the only explanation for someone starting to write their memoirs after they are dead.