Baudolino, by Umberto Eco – translated by Marco Lucchesi
Editora Record
The memories and adventures of Baudolino, the adopted son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and a liar by nature. A delightful medieval fable, mixing fantastic storytelling, mystery and lots of adventure. A must read for anyone who is curious about the Middle Ages and the (mythological?) Christian universe, as it addresses issues such as the Holy Grail, for example. And the political aspect of the book is very current, is interesting to draw a parallel with the present day.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, by Haruki Murakami
original title: Mekurayanagi to, nemuru onna • Vintage Books
I’ve always heard so many good things about Murakami, especially about his best known book 1Q84 (published in three volumes between 2009 and 2010). I decided to start with something lighter and chose this short stories collection, written by the author between 1980 and 2005, and fell in love madly. I suffered with the end of each short story, wanting them to continue on forever (or at least a little bit longer, to the point of becoming novels).
Discovering the World, by Clarice Lispector
original title: A Descoberta do Mundo • Editora Rocco
468 chronicles Clarice wrote for Jornal do Brasil (a brazilian newspaper), between 1967 and 1973. It’s very interesting to see the strangeness (and genius) of the author with this “new” format, that she questioned and struggled to master. I think this book can be read at once or little by little, as small pearls of wisdom. We definately don’t make human beings like Clarice anymore.
