The Other Boom: Machado de Assis in Transamerican Perspective

Helen Caldwell’s translation of Machado de Assis’s novel Esaú e Jacó in the United States is set in an interesting context: American politics during the Cold War, the phenomenon of the reception of Jorge Amado’s novels in that country, the ignorance of the public in the U.S. about the reality of its southern neighbors and, at some point, the so-called boom of Latin American literature. How does this historical context shape Caldwell’s version, or not? How do her translation choices, as well as the problems they raise, illuminate Machado’s work and make it resonate with the contemporary world of advanced capitalism and geopolitical domination? In attempting to answer these questions, this article reflects on the constant updating of Machado’s text and its responses to history.

Keywords:
Reception; cultural transfer; Machado de Assis