Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Reading Log: Fernando Namora's "Cidade Solitária"
I am not much of a reader, but I am trying to change that. After breaking a long bookless period with a less than satisfactory experience (see my latest "Book Review"), I have fared better with my second choice, a book of short stories by Fernando Namora. The name of the collection is "Cidade Solitária" (Lonely Town), and the edition I own is an incomplete version of the original set, missing three or four stories. The stories I have read are:
- "Cidade Solitária", about a day in the life of a lonely businessman.
- "Sabotagem", about men in a tungsten mine during WWII.
- "O Visconde ou uma História Quase Humorística" (The Viscount or An Almost Comical Story), about a decadent bar owner.
- "Não É do Coração" (It's Not from the Heart), about a Portuguese couple traveling abroad for the first time.
- "O Rapaz do Tambor" (The Little Drummer Boy), about a boy and his secretive father in a country under an oppressive regime.
- "A Piedosa Oferenda" (The Pious Offering), in which a schoolteacher meets an old acquaintance from the days when he worked in a tungsten mine.
- "Uma Avaria no Automóvel" (Car Breakdown), about a man who returns to his hometown after a long absence.
- "Piquenique", about a young woman who has no friends. (This short story reminded me of the film "May").
- "O Companheiro de Viagem" (The Traveling Companion), in which an engineer meets a strangely popular man during his stay at a town where he will perform a job.
- "Feira de Chuva" (Rain Fair), about a decadent store owner.
I like this writer. His style is very pleasant, on the whole. I had an impaired understanding of his sentences in only one story, the last one; otherwise, I found his style clear and expressive. The characters are vividly described. It was a pleasant reading.
- "Cidade Solitária", about a day in the life of a lonely businessman.
- "Sabotagem", about men in a tungsten mine during WWII.
- "O Visconde ou uma História Quase Humorística" (The Viscount or An Almost Comical Story), about a decadent bar owner.
- "Não É do Coração" (It's Not from the Heart), about a Portuguese couple traveling abroad for the first time.
- "O Rapaz do Tambor" (The Little Drummer Boy), about a boy and his secretive father in a country under an oppressive regime.
- "A Piedosa Oferenda" (The Pious Offering), in which a schoolteacher meets an old acquaintance from the days when he worked in a tungsten mine.
- "Uma Avaria no Automóvel" (Car Breakdown), about a man who returns to his hometown after a long absence.
- "Piquenique", about a young woman who has no friends. (This short story reminded me of the film "May").
- "O Companheiro de Viagem" (The Traveling Companion), in which an engineer meets a strangely popular man during his stay at a town where he will perform a job.
- "Feira de Chuva" (Rain Fair), about a decadent store owner.
I like this writer. His style is very pleasant, on the whole. I had an impaired understanding of his sentences in only one story, the last one; otherwise, I found his style clear and expressive. The characters are vividly described. It was a pleasant reading.
