Erhalten Sie Zugang zu diesem und mehr als 300000 Büchern ab EUR 5,99 monatlich.
- Herausgeber: Pop Stories
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: Short stories
- Sprache: Englisch
"The greatest writer ever produced in Latin America." Susan Sontag, writer and activist "The supreme black literary artist to date." Harold Bloom, literary critic The Devil's Church (A Igreja do Diabo) is a masterful short story from Brazil's most celebrated writer, Machado de Assis, originally published in 1883. In this wickedly clever satirical tale, the Devil himself decides to establish his own church, seeking to institutionalize and legitimize sin in direct opposition to God's teachings. With characteristic wit and psychological insight, Machado weaves a story that serves as both a religious allegory and a sharp critique of human nature and social hypocrisy. In this revelatory work, Machado explores themes of morality, human contradiction, and institutional power with his characteristic sardonic humor. As the Devil meticulously builds his anti-church, he discovers an uncomfortable truth about human nature that readers will find both amusing and unsettlingly relevant to contemporary society. The story exemplifies Machado's unique ability to use seemingly simple narratives to expose profound truths about human behavior and social structures. For readers interested in world literature, religious satire, or masterfully crafted short fiction, "The Devil's Church" provides a concise but powerful demonstration of why Machado de Assis's work continues to resonate with audiences over a century after its original publication.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 17
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
Das E-Book (TTS) können Sie hören im Abo „Legimi Premium” in Legimi-Apps auf:
Ähnliche
Table of Contents
Chapter I – A Marvelous Idea
Chapter II – Between God and the Devil
Chapter III – The Proclamation to Mankind
Chapter IV – Fringes and Fringes
About the Author
Landmarks
Cover
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Chapter I – A Marvelous Idea
According to an old Benedictine manuscript, the Devil one day conceived the idea of founding a church. Despite his continuous and substantial profits, he felt humiliated by the disconnected role he had played for centuries—without organization, without rules, without canons, without ritual, without anything whatsoever. He subsisted, one might say, upon divine remnants and human oversights and favors. Nothing fixed, nothing regular. Why should he not have his own church? A Devil's church would be the perfect means to combat other religions and destroy them once and for all.
"Indeed, a church it shall be," he declared. "Scripture against Scripture, breviary against breviary. I shall have my own mass, with abundance of wine and bread, my sermons, papal bulls, novenas, and all the ecclesiastical apparatus. My creed shall be the universal nucleus of all spirits, my church a tent of Abraham. And while other religions wage war and divide amongst themselves, my church shall stand singular; I shall face neither Mohammed nor Luther. There exist countless ways to affirm; there exists but one way to deny all."
With these words, the Devil shook his head and extended his arms in a magnificent and masculine gesture. Then he resolved to visit God to announce his idea and issue his challenge. He lifted his eyes, blazing with hatred and rough with vengeance, and spoke unto himself: "Now is the hour." And swiftly, beating his wings with such force that it shook every province of the abyss, he burst forth from darkness into the infinite azure.
