Abstract
When he set off for Brazil in September 1939, the Austro-Brazilian intellectual Otto Maria Carpeaux had his first contact with Brazilian literature through a text by Machado de Assis. With this initial contact, which occurred through a French translation, Carpeaux realized that it would be worthwhile to learn the Portuguese language. Since then, his relationship with the "Wizard of Cosme Velho" - the nickname for the author of "Dom Casmurro" - and Brazilian culture became increasingly profound. Carpeaux dedicated several essays to Machado de Assis' work, including an original analysis of "Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas" and an essay aimed at refuting the supposedly Marxist criticisms made by Octávio Brandão of Machado's work. In light of this body of work, this article aims to analyze Otto Maria Carpeaux's essays dedicated to Machado de Assis, as well as to contextualize the importance of the Brazilian writer for the literary discussions of that time, especially from the perspective of sociological analysis.
Keywords:
Machado de Assis; Otto Maria Carpeaux; marxism; sociology; Leopardi