Other editions of book The Wager

In this classic of South American literature, Aires returns home to his native, Rio after many years abroad and is captivated by a young widow whom he sees praying at her husband's graveside. Her charm and the tragic story of her brief marriage increase his fascination, and soon he is indulging in impossible dreams. But the Brazil that Aires remembers from his youth is changing fast. A new era is dawning with events such as the coming of the railway and the abolition of slavery. The future belongs to a younger generation, to men like Tristao, the doctor and political candidate, who is also an admirer of the beautiful widow. This is a story of broken dreams, love, and obsession—universal themes that give the author's work the timeless quality for which it is renowned.

Set in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the abolition of slavery in 1888, this tells the poignant story of an elderly diplomat captivated by a beautiful young widow. Imbued with autumnal sadness, it shrewdly and ironically portrays a man coming to terms with the passing of the world he knows, and with his own old age and death. De Assis (1839-1908) displays in his ninth novel the dry wit and measured understanding of human nature that earned him his reputation as Brazil's first major writer."" - Publishers Weekly. ""It is not enough to say that he is an important American novelist; he is one of the masters in either hemisphere."" - NY Times.

Set in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the abolition of slavery in 1888, this tells the poignant story of an elderly diplomat captivated by a beautiful young widow. Imbued with autumnal sadness, it shrewdly and ironically portrays a man coming to terms with the passing of the world he knows, and with his own old age and death. De Assis (1839-1908) displays in his ninth novel the dry wit and measured understanding of human nature that earned him his reputation as Brazil's first major writer."" - Publishers Weekly. ""It is not enough to say that he is an important American novelist; he is one of the masters in either hemisphere."" - NY Times.