1912: Alcides Maya and the renewal of the critique of Machado de Assis

Abstract

Machado de Assis (Algumas notas sobre o “humour”), written by the journalist, essayist and short-story author Alcides Maya (1877-1984), and published in Rio de Janeiro in 1912, is a remarkable debut book, published after Machado de Assis’ death. In this book, Maya takes issue with the analysis carried out by essayist and historian Silvio Romero, in his 1897 book Machado de Assis, concerning the use of humor, as well as examines Machado’s place in the history of Brazilian literature. Near its 100th anniversary, Maya’s book remains an important and updated reference for Machado’s studies.