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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 869.3
EAN: 9780345349040
ISBN: 0345349040
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 89
Publication Date: 1987-10-12
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product Release Date: 1987-10-12
Studio: Ballantine Books

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Scliar's deliciously warped "Ballad"
Review: "The Ballad of the False Messiah" is a collection of short fiction by Moacyr Scliar, the great Jewish writer of Brazil. "Ballad" contains 9 short stories and a longer piece which could be considered a novelette. The book has been translated from Portuguese into English by Eloah F. Giacomelli.

The stories in this book contain elements of the absurd and the fantastic. The title story involves a Russian Jewish immigrant community in Brazil--a community which may have found its messiah. "The Scalp" is a creepy tale of vanity and violence. And "The Offerings of the Dalila Store" is an odd exploration of lust and commerce.

The real masterpiece in this collection is the novelette entitled "The Short-Story Writers." This is a brilliant "metafiction" about a short story writer who is writing a short story entitled "The Short-Story Writers." The narrator documents the quirks and struggles of his fellow short story writers. This is a delightful piece, full of jokes and weirdness. Like the film "Being John Malkovich," this long story takes a playfully surreal approach to exploring the role of the artist in society.

This collection has been reprinted in its entirety in "The Collected Stories of Moacyr Scliar," together with more than 100 other pieces. Scliar is one of the most magical voices in Latin American literature, and his stories deserve a wide audience.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: My candidate for the Nobel Prize but he died
Review: This is available in the Collected Stories of Moacyr Scliar. You will the Collected Stories wonderful reading.

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