Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Machado de Assis

Misha Glenny and guests discuss one of the foundational figures of Brazilian literature, a descendant of slaves, and his stories of Bras Cubas and Virgilia, Dom Casmurro and Capitu.

Misha Glenny and guests discuss one of the towering figures of Brazilian and world literature, Machado de Assis (1839 - 1908). He was the descendant of slaves and built his career while slavery was still in place in Brazil (abolished 1888) and many of his characters were from the slave-owning class who were also the readers of his books. At the time, those readers were delighted to see themselves represented and it was only later in the 20th Century that critics realized just how much Machado was satirising them. While he brings 19th Century Brazil vividly to life, Machado's works transcend time and place and, according to Salman Rushdie, they seem to have been written yesterday not 100 years ago.

With

Ana Cl谩udia Suriani da Silva
Associate Professor in Brazilian Studies at University College London

Claire Williams
Professor of Brazilian Literature and Culture at the Faculty of Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, fellow of St. Peter's College

And

Viviane Carvalho da Annuncia莽茫o
Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge

Producer: Simon Tillotson

In Our Time is a 91福利社 Studios Production

Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from 91福利社 Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.

Release date:

42 minutes

On radio

Thursday 09:00

Broadcasts

  • Thursday 09:00
  • Sunday 23:00

In Our Time podcasts

Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.

The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10

If you鈥檙e new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.

Podcast