Book, 50 short stories by Machado de Assis[LS]

Indispensable anthology with the best of the great Brazilian writer's short stories. Mandatory reading for the Unicamp entrance exam. A man who has the strange pleasure of torturing rats, and faces his wife's death with the same satisfaction; another who, abandoned on a farm, looks in a mirror and discovers that his reflection has disappeared; a woman so obsessed with hiding her age that she prevents her daughter from getting married; a fortunate composer of popular tunes who desperately wants to write classical music; a fifteen-year-old boy who is excited by the sight of an older woman's arms; an impoverished couple who love dancing and end up wasting the lottery prize at a party... These are some of the situations and characters in this new anthology of short stories by Machado de Assis, which includes famous texts, but also less usual choices, as well as a inviting presentation and clarifying notes. Whether you are an aficionado of Machado's work or just an enthusiast of good literature, the breadth and subtlety of these writings, the pleasure you derive from the way the stories are told and from observing small details will make you read, reread and rediscover the greatest Brazilian writer. Carlos Drummond de Andrade said that reading Machado de Assis was a permanent temptation, almost like an addiction that you had to resist: there is no better place to indulge in this addiction than this book.