The Mystery of Christmas

Coelho Netto, Henrique, 1864-1934Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 93K words
Chapters: 10

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.Mysterio do Natal by Henrique Coelho NettoAuthor: Coelho Netto, Henrique, 1864-1934,Language: Portuguese, Class: BT: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Doctrinal theology, God, Christology, Release Date: Dec 24, 2010

Editor's review

Mysterio do Natal (The Christmas Mystery) is a short work by the Brazilian writer Henrique Coelho Neto, built around the theme of Christmas and marked by a distinctly religious and moral contemplative tone. Neto was a major figure in Brazilian letters at the turn of the twentieth century, and his style prizes rhetoric and atmosphere, as this piece shows: its interest lies not in a convoluted plot but in the holiday setting as a point of departure for reflection on faith, goodwill, and the human heart. For readers learning Portuguese who want a taste of the Brazilian literary tradition, it is a friendly-length text with flavorful language; readers drawn to religious or holiday-themed literature will also find here a Latin American perspective that differs from Anglo-American Christmas stories. Read it slowly, attending to the symbolism and lyricism of the narration, and do not be in a hurry to learn how the story ends.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate and advanced language learners of Portuguese who want to practice reading short original texts
Readers interested in Brazilian literature and Latin American writers who wish to broaden their reading
Readers drawn to religious-themed literature who want to encounter a Latin American approach to Christmas narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Portuguese at all and no translation to rely on
Readers of genre fiction who prefer strong plotting and fast pacing
Readers seeking a systematic study of Christmas folklore or a treatise on religious doctrine

Reading tips

Read through once without worrying about full comprehension, taking in the rhythm of the language and the holiday atmosphere, then go back and read closely paragraph by paragraph.
When you meet unfamiliar words, guess from context first and look them up together after finishing the piece, so as not to break the flow of reading.
After reading, compare it with Christmas stories from your own country and notice how different cultures narrate the same holiday.

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

What language is this book written in?

It is written in Portuguese; the author is the Brazilian writer Henrique Coelho Neto. Portuguese-speaking readers can read it directly; readers unfamiliar with the language will need a translation or parallel reading.

Is this a novel or a short work?

Judging from its inclusion in Project Gutenberg, this is a short work, closer to a short story or booklet, suited to reading in one sitting or across two or three, and not intended for readers expecting a long narrative.

Can reading this book teach me about Brazilian Christmas customs?

The work takes Christmas as its theme and has a religious and moral contemplative cast; it is not an ethnographic record. Readers can sense the holiday atmosphere and literary expression of the time, but should not treat it as systematic folklore material.

Comments

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About the author

Coelho Netto, Henrique, 1864-1934 Author · Brazilian · 1864–1934

Henrique Coelho Netto (1864–1934) was a Brazilian writer and politician, and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Much of his work draws on urban life in Rio de Janeiro, depicting the city's social customs and street scenes with vivid local color; his characters and settings carry a distinctively urban flavor. Beyond his literary activities, he was also involved in political affairs and was an active figure in Brazilian letters and cultural life of his time. The library currently holds one of his works, Mysterio do Natal (The Mystery of Christmas). Overall, publicly available material on him is limited, and studies tend to focus on his writing of social customs and his role in the Brazilian Academy of Letters, with his style noted for realistic observation and local color.