Humus

Raul Germano BrandãoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 321K words
Chapters: 33

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Humus by Raul Brandão. Author: Brandão, Raul, 1867-1930. Language: Portuguese. Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese. Release Date: May 5, 2012

Editor's review

Humus is one of the representative works of the Portuguese writer Raul Brandão, a novel in Portuguese literature marked by social critique and observation of human nature. Brandão is known for his somber, delicate style in depicting the fate of the lower classes, and this book continues that approach, presenting through a group portrait the hardship and struggle of life on the margins of countryside and city. As a free Project Gutenberg eBook, it gives readers zero-cost access to this classic of Portuguese-language literature, making it suitable for readers interested in Iberian Peninsula literature and early twentieth-century European realist fiction. Readers should note the language style of the Portuguese original and its historical background; those with limited Portuguese reading ability may use a translation or introductory materials. The book's portrayal of poverty, dignity, and human relationships can also provide primary texts for readers studying social and literary history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some Portuguese reading ability who want to engage with Portuguese literary classics
Learners interested in early twentieth-century European realist fiction
University teachers and students studying Iberian Peninsula literature and social history
Literature lovers who want free public-domain ebooks and to broaden their reading

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no Portuguese foundation and no translation to assist them
Readers who prefer light entertainment and fast-paced popular fiction
Beginning researchers who need systematic scholarly annotations and detailed introductions

Reading tips

First learn about Brandão's life and the social background of early twentieth-century Portugal, then begin the text
If Portuguese ability is limited, read alongside a reliable translation or literary introduction
Take reading notes by character threads to map the group portrait and thematic lines
After finishing, write a brief thematic analysis in light of realist literary characteristics

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written in Portuguese or English?

The original text of Humus is in Portuguese, and the author Raul Brandão was Portuguese. The Project Gutenberg edition provides the public-domain Portuguese text, so readers need some Portuguese ability or should use a translation or introductory materials for support.

Can I read this book without any Portuguese foundation?

Yes, but it is advisable first to find a reliable Chinese or English translation for comparison, or to read an introduction to the author's life and the work's background. Reading the Portuguese original directly is difficult for complete beginners and may cause them to lose interest because of the language barrier.

Is this book suitable as material for literary research?

It is suitable as a supplementary text for research on Portuguese realist literature and social history, but Project Gutenberg editions usually lack detailed scholarly annotations. Researchers should use it together with authoritative editions, literary history materials, and relevant scholarship, and should not rely on the electronic text alone.

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About the author

Raul Germano Brandão Author · Portuguese · 1867–1930

Raul Brandão (1867–1930) was a Portuguese writer, journalist, and retired military officer, born into a fisherman's family in Porto; the sea and the lives of fishermen thus became recurring themes in his work. He is known for realistic literary depiction combined with lyrical language, often focusing on the fate and inner world of ordinary and poor people, with a style poised between sober social observation and intense poetic expression. His representative works include Os Pobres (1906), Húmus (1917), and a memoir, along with several other works. Public information on his life and writing is limited; scholars generally regard him as a distinctive voice in Portuguese literature from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and his themes and language remain valuable for understanding the society and literary landscape of Portugal in his time.