Memorias Postumas de Bras Cubas (Classicos Da Literatura Brasileira)
Widely considered Brazil's greatest writer, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908) was a self-taught mestizo born in  Rio de Janeiro who suffered from epilepsy and a tendency to stutter. But in spite of these difficulties Machado was known for his captivating, pleasant personality. In addition to writing the two most important works of Brazilian fiction, Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas and Dom Casmurro, Machado helped found the Brazilian Academy of Letters and served as its first president until his death. The Academy then gained the nickname "House of Machado de Assis." While Machado's work covered nearly every literary genre, in was in the novel where he made his greatest contribution, introducing realism to Brazilian literature and even foreshadowing modernism with his psychological focus, quirky comments outside of the plot and tendency to blur the line between fiction and reality.