{"product_id":"quincas-borba-9781324090687","title":"Quincas Borba","description":"\u003cp\u003eHailed in his lifetime as one of Latin America's greatest writers, Machado de Assis (1839-1908) was a storyteller known for his wholly innovative narrative techniques and uncanny talent for unraveling the social and political milieu of nineteenth-century Brazil. These signature traits are on full display in \u003cem\u003eQuincas Borba\u003c\/em\u003e, a novel that sees Machado satirize a rapidly changing Rio de Janeiro.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Originally published in 1891, the story begins with the death of its titular character, a mad philosopher infamous for spouting pessimistic theories of \"Humanitism.\" Borba leaves his fortune--including his dog, also named Quincas Borba--to Rubião, his loyal caretaker and a schoolteacher by trade. Bestowed with opulence beyond his wildest dreams, Rubião is quickly coaxed into the comforts of a rich man's life--the only stipulation being that he continues to care for the canine Quincas Borba with the same dedication he once did the human. Adrift in the big, bad, bustling world of late-1860s Rio de Janeiro, it isn't long before Rubião is targeted by the city's sycophants, who can smell his naïveté from a mile away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Playfully told by an omniscient and possibly unreliable narrator, the novel is at once irreverent and ambitious, brimming with barbed wit and keen philosophical inquiry. Brilliantly translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson--the duo credited with introducing a new generation of readers to Machado through their translations of D\u003cem\u003eom Casmurro, The Collected Stories, and Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas\u003c\/em\u003e--\u003cem\u003eQuincas Borba\u003c\/em\u003e is another strikingly modern tale from a blazing progenitor of twentieth-century fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCosta, Margaret Jull:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eMargaret Jull Costa\u003c\/strong\u003e, who has translated Javier Marías and José Saramago, lives in England.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatterson, Robin:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eRobin Patterson\u003c\/strong\u003e has translated José Luandino Vieira and lives in England. \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDe Assis, Joaquim Maria Machado:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eJoaquim Maria Machado de Assis\u003c\/strong\u003e (1839-1908) was born in Rio de Janeiro and, as well as his seven short-story collections, wrote such groundbreaking novels as \u003cem\u003ePosthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, Dom Casmurro, Quincas Borba\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Alienist\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Liveright Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50618280640786,"sku":"9781324090687","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_95d35832-729b-4092-a5a9-029bbedf194d.jpg?v=1754897747","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/quincas-borba-9781324090687","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}