A Mother-In-Law's Book (Paperback)

M. Smouch

ISBN 13: 9798258979513

Published by Independently Published, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. A bold, unsettling, and darkly witty novel from one of Brazil's great nineteenth-century masters.First published in 1896, A Mother-in-Law's Book is one of Aluisio de Azevedo's most provocative and least conventional works. At first glance, it appears to be a domestic comedy about the most feared figure in family life: the mother-in-law. But beneath its ironic surface lies a daring psychological novel about marriage, desire, motherhood, social convention, and the impossible search for lasting happiness.When a bachelor narrator visits his old friend Leandro, he expects to hear the usual complaints about Leandro's tyrannical mother-in-law. Instead, he finds a man who reveres her memory. The explanation lies in a mysterious manuscript left behind by Olympia, a fiercely intelligent woman who devoted her life to protecting her daughter from the disappointments of ordinary marriage.Through Olympia's voice, Azevedo constructs a startling critique of domestic life, exposing the tensions between love and habit, passion and respect, freedom and social respectability. Equal parts satire, confession, philosophical argument, and psychological drama, A Mother-in-Law's Book reveals a forgotten side of Brazilian Naturalism: intimate, ironic, uncomfortable, and astonishingly modern.This edition presents the novel in English translation, with an introduction, afterword, and translator's notes designed to guide contemporary readers through its cultural, historical, and linguistic context. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798258979513

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Mother-In-Law's Book (Paperback)
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798258979513
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A bold, unsettling, and darkly witty novel from one of Brazil’s great nineteenth-century masters.
First published in 1896, A Mother-in-Law’s Book is one of Aluísio de Azevedo’s most provocative and least conventional works. At first glance, it appears to be a domestic comedy about the most feared figure in family life: the mother-in-law. But beneath its ironic surface lies a daring psychological novel about marriage, desire, motherhood, social convention, and the impossible search for lasting happiness.
When a bachelor narrator visits his old friend Leandro, he expects to hear the usual complaints about Leandro’s tyrannical mother-in-law. Instead, he finds a man who reveres her memory. The explanation lies in a mysterious manuscript left behind by Olympia, a fiercely intelligent woman who devoted her life to protecting her daughter from the disappointments of ordinary marriage.
Through Olympia’s voice, Azevedo constructs a startling critique of domestic life, exposing the tensions between love and habit, passion and respect, freedom and social respectability. Equal parts satire, confession, philosophical argument, and psychological drama, A Mother-in-Law’s Book reveals a forgotten side of Brazilian Naturalism: intimate, ironic, uncomfortable, and astonishingly modern.
This edition presents the novel in English translation, with an introduction, afterword, and translator’s notes designed to guide contemporary readers through its cultural, historical, and linguistic context.