Dom Casmurro
by Machado de Assis
About this book
Published in 1899 by the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis, this novel is told in old age by Bento Santiago, nicknamed “Dom Casmurro.” Wanting to tie together the two ends of his life, he recalls his childhood in Rio de Janeiro, his years in a seminary and his marriage to Capitu, the neighbour he loved as a boy. His account is ruled by jealousy and the suspicion of adultery. Because everything reaches the reader through Bento's voice alone, the book leaves the truth of his accusations unresolved and is a classic study of the unreliable narrator.