Home The Discovery of America by the Turks by Jorge Amado; Gregory Rabassa (Translator); Foreword by Jose Saramago (ISBN: 9780143106982)

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The Discovery of America by the Turks Paperback - 2012 - 1st Edition

Name: The Discovery of America by the Turks
Price: 5.35 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Amado, Jorge, and Rabassa, Gregory (Translated by), and Saramago, Jose (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9780143106982

by Jorge Amado; Gregory Rabassa (Translator); Foreword by Jose Saramago

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Summary

For the first time in English: legendary Brazilian author Jorge Amado's spirited novella about Arab immigrants to South America—published for the centennial of Amado's birth

Two Arab immigrants—"Turks" as Brazilians call them—arrive in the rough Brazilian frontier on the same ship in 1903, hoping to find a future. They rub shoulders with gunslingers and plantation owners, and also tangle with merchants, one of whom is desperate to marry off his impossible daughter. Thus ensues a farcical drama that produces, in a humorous twist, the unlikeliest of suitors in this whimsical Brazilian take on The Taming of the Shrew.

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From the publisher

A Penguin Classic

Published here for the first time in English in a brilliant translation by the peerless Gregory Rabassa, The Discovery of America by the Turks is a whimsical Brazilian take on The Taming of the Shrew that will remind readers why Jorge Amado is to Portuguese-American literature what Jorge Luis Borges is to Spanish-American literature. It follows the adventures of two Arab immigrants--"Turks," as Brazilians call them--who arrive in the rough Brazilian frontier in 1903 and become involved in a merchant's farcical attempt to marry off his shrew of a daughter.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Details

Title The Discovery of America by the Turks
Author Jorge Amado; Gregory Rabassa (Translator); Foreword by Jose Saramago
Binding Paperback
Edition number 1st
Edition 1
Pages 96
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Penguin Classics
Publication date 2012-08-28
Features Price on Product - Canadian, Table of Contents
ISBN 9780143106982 / 0143106988
Weight 0.18 lbs (0.08 kg)
Dimensions 7.79 x 5.13 x 0.68 in (19.79 x 13.03 x 1.73 cm)
Age range 18 to UP years
Grade levels 13 - UP
Themes
- Ethnic Orientation: Hispanic
- Ethnic Orientation: Latino
Category Literature - Classics / Criticism
Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2012022549
Dewey Decimal Code 869.341

Media reviews

“Funny, intelligent, often tender, not infrequently raunchy . . . The tale unfolds with twists worthy of a Shakespearean comedy, but what is truly memorable are Amado's character portraits and his vibrant comic scenes of Brazilian life. . . . [An] excellent example of the particular mixture of folkloric elements and high-literary storytelling for which Amado is often paired with Gabriel García Márquez.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Delightful . . . A wonder of the art of narration [by] the voice, the feeling, and the joy of Brazil.” —José Saramago, from the Foreword

“Hugely entertaining . . . Amado’s version of Brazil is seductive.” —The Times Literary Supplement

“Cause for rejoicing . . . Irresistible . . . Thoroughly satisfying. There’s more packed into the slender The Discovery of America by the Turks than many a novel five times its length, delivered with zest and spice and an unashamed love of physical pleasure. Perhaps more than any other author, Jorge Amado can capture in words the simple, radiant joys of living.” —Shelf Awareness

Citations

Booklist, 08/01/2012, Page 22
Shelf Awareness, 08/31/2012, Page 0

About the author

Jorge Amado (1912-2001) was born in the state of Bahia, Brazil, whose society he portrays in such acclaimed novels as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.

Gregory Rabassa (translator; 1922-2016) was a National Book Award-winning translator whose English-language versions of works by Gabriel Garca Mrquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortzar, and Jorge Amado have become classics in their own right.

Jos Saramago (foreword; 1922-2010) was a Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese writer. His many novels include All the Names and Blindness.