The Slum was written by Aluisio Azevedo in 1890. It takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the later part of the 19th century.

The novel shows how people are treated and changed by their social position in the community, their surrounding environment, and race relations. It reveals the underlying issues related to social classes, women's roles, and ethnicity.

The novel tells the stories of the passionate people who live in the slum and the story of the penny-pitching immigrant landlord who thrives on becoming rich. He built up a life with his African American girlfriend who used to be a slave. He forged papers and made her believe that he bought her freedom. Several years later, he easily throws her away to marry his rich white girl neighbor, as he works to advance his station in life.

The stories from the slum show how they lived and interacted with one another.

The passion of a dangerous love affair between the miner's foreman and a spunky woman can only lead to trouble. The foreman did lead a quiet life with his wife. He worked hard and they kept to themselves until music led him to meet a woman who would turn their lives upside down.

The story shows how the people of the slum stick together and look out for one another. How they work hard and play hard.

It's a book that surprised me with its deeply moving scenes and depth of characters. However, it is not politically correct, being written in 1890. It is compared to Huckleberry Finn in that regard. If you can read it and take into account the time period it was written, then I'd highly recommend it. If you're easily offended, then I'd skip this book.

The Brazilian novelist Aluísio Azevedo (1857-1913) was also the author of A Woman's Tear, The Mulatto, and several other works. The late David H. Rosenthal was an accomplished translator of works from the Catalan (from 15th-century classics to modern poetry) and also wrote essays and books on many other topics, including Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 (OUP, 1992).

Classic Literature and Fiction
Literary Fiction
Caribbean and Latin American Literary Criticism
240 Pages
Rated 4.5

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Created Jun 24, 2024 at 7:35am • Submit your own review...