Never read a book? Get to know Brazilian classics to start the reading habit

Key Alves, from “BBB 23”, surprised viewers and the other brothers by saying that he had never read a book. The subject reverberated through social networks, and the public brought up the volleyball player’s speech about being sapiosexual, which means being attracted more by someone’s intellectual capacity than by physical appearance.

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For those who have never read a book and want to start or intensify the reading habit, we have listed 12 Brazilian classics that are also mandatory references for competitive examinations and entrance exams. Check out:

‘Quincas Borba’, by Machado de Assis: the plot revolves around social relationships. Themes such as interest, betrayal, power, appearance, madness, irony, immorality and falsehood are highlighted in the work. Find here.

‘The Hour of the Star’, by Clarice Linspector: the book tells the story of Macabéa, a migrant who leaves Alagoas to try a new life in Rio de Janeiro. The girl is a typist and gets a simple job that helps her support herself in the first few months. Find here.

‘Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon’, by Jorge Amado: The author talks about a crucial moment in Brazilian social life, while narrating a surprising love story. The novel has as its backdrop, in the mid-1920s, the struggle for the modernization of Ilhéus, which was developing thanks to cocoa exports. Find here.

‘Dom Casmurro’, by Machado de Assis: the book addresses friendship, jealousy, adultery, passion, grudge, bitterness and irony. Bentinho and Capitu, teenagers in love, make an oath before he leaves for the seminary. He manages to escape the cassock, marries Capitu and continues his happy life, until the death of his best friend. Find here.

‘Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas’, by Machado de Assis: the book is considered the transition from romanticism to realism in Brazil, mixing elegance and daring, refinement and acid humor. The late Brás Cubas, who narrates the story, dedicates the work to the worm that first gnawed the cold flesh of his corpse. He became one of the most popular characters in national literature. Find here.

‘O cortiço’, by Aluísio Azevedo: Published in 1890, the book draws attention to the marginalized at the time, such as washerwomen, manual workers, rascals and poor widows. The author’s Darwinian look positioned the novel as the ultimate expression of naturalism in Brazilian literature, portraying the social ills that affected the capital of the Empire, Rio de Janeiro. Find here.

‘Lady’, by José de Alencar: the work reveals the conventions of the 19th century bourgeois society of Rio de Janeiro through a panel of court life and criticism of the customs of the time, such as marriage by interest and social upstart. Find here.

‘Os sertões’, by Euclides da Cunha: The book is divided into sections. The first part, “A terra”, has technical and scientific considerations regarding the soil, climate and geographic space of the Bahian hinterland. The second part, “The man”, brings anthropological characteristics about the sertanejo, with all its social, political and psychological conflicts. The last part, “A Luta”, narrates the War of Canudos from the beginning. Find here.

‘Iracema’, by José de Alencar: the story takes place in Ceará, in the 17th century. The white, European hero falls in love with the indigenous woman Iracema. In the plot, a historical conflict between indigenous tribes permeates the narrative, weaving a tragic and poetic parable of the origin of the Brazilian people. Find here.

‘Memoirs of a militia sergeant’, by Manuel Antônio de Almeida: the work portrays a typical malandro, represented for the first time in literature. It is possible to follow his life with all his adventures and how he manages to get out of each problem. Find here.

‘Sad end of Policarpo Quaresma’, by Lima Barreto: the narrative focuses on the trajectory of Policarpo Quaresma, who fought for Brazilian culture. The scenario in which the author positions the story is post-abolition, in the First Republic and already in the government of the second president of Brazil, Floriano Peixoto. Find here.

‘Grande sertão: veredas’, by Guimarães Rosa: attributing a universal dimension to the sertão of Minas Gerais, the work is a dive into the human soul, capable of portraying love, suffering, strength, violence and joy. Find here.

For those who prefer or want to know the digital book, Kindle Unlimited is the Amazon service that makes more than 1 million e-books available. It is a subscription, and the user can read the works online or download up to 10 titles at a time. And there is no deadline for returning the books. It is not even necessary to have the Kindle electronic physical device. This “book streaming” costs BRL 19.90 per month, but the company always has promotions for new subscribers. The offer currently available is a 30-day free trial.

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