QUINCAS BORBA

A parodic novel by the great Brazilian writer, first published in 1891.

Quincas Borba is a philosopher of sorts, the inventor of a doctrine he calls Humanitism, which takes logical positivism to its extremes. Having propounded it, Borba declares himself “the greatest man on Earth,” but although he confidently denies death, soon thereafter he dies. His friend Rubião, who tolerates Borba’s eccentricities, is the sole recipient of Borba’s considerable fortune, with but one proviso: He must take care of Borba’s beloved dog, itself named Quincas Borba. The dog is a sweet thing; Rubião not so much, leaving the poor critter alone while he enjoys the life of high society in Rio de Janeiro. Among other things, Rubião tries mightily to seduce the beautiful young wife of his financial advisor. Sofia is no Emma Bovary, and though she’s well aware that Rubião desires her, she seems more interested in an empty-headed social climber closer to her age. She’s also well aware of her powers: “Once she had laced up her corset, still standing before the mirror, she lovingly arranged her breasts to show off her magnificent décolletage,” attributes that Machado, fond of allusion, likens to a passage from the Greek historian Herodotus. Rubião has fully absorbed just one lesson of Quincas Borba’s: There’s not enough to go around, making it necessary for one tribe to kill another in order to eat, a lesson that Rubião distills into “a signet ring inscribed with the motto: TO THE WINNER, THE POTATOES!” Alas, potatoes are elusive, and the only admirable figure in Machado’s novel is the dog, who “loves being loved. He’s happy to believe that he is.” He’s probably not, but, like the other hapless characters in Machado’s satire, he’s happy to chase his own tail.

A welcome, fresh translation of an overlooked classic, a superb novel of (bad) manners.