Five women

Lima Barreto (1881-1922) created memorable male characters, such as Policarpo Quaresma, Gonzaga de Sá, and Isaías Caminha, who embody his revolt against the Brazilian society of his time and its ideas about human beings and the conditioning and prejudices to which they are subjected. But the troubled and ironic Lima also gave birth to equally striking female fictional characters. In the lives of these five women—Adélia, Lívia, Cló, Clara, and Zilda—the author observes frustrations and resentments, escapes and schemes, describing their relationships with men, their romantic dreams, and their social ambitions. They are neither victims nor shrews, but living, complex people, demonstrating once again how Lima Barreto was able to create characters that transcend caricature and reach posterity.