{"id":25755,"date":"2023-06-12T01:01:45","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T07:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/?p=25755"},"modified":"2023-06-21T09:32:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T15:32:01","slug":"from-macunaima-the-hero-with-no-character-translated-by-katrina-dodson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/2023\/06\/from-macunaima-the-hero-with-no-character-translated-by-katrina-dodson\/","title":{"rendered":"From Macuna\u00edma: The Hero with No Character, translated by Katrina Dodson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here at last is an exciting new edition of the Brazilian modernist epic <\/span>Macuna\u00edma: The Hero with No Character<\/span><\/i>, by M\u00e1rio de Andrade. This landmark 1928 novel follows the adventures of the shapeshifting Macuna\u00edma and his brothers as they leave their Amazon home for a whirlwind tour of Brazil, cramming four centuries and a continental expanse into a single mythic plane. Having lost a magic amulet, the hero and his brothers journey to S\u00e3o Paulo to retrieve the talisman that has fallen into the hands of an Italo-Peruvian captain of industry (who is also a cannibal giant). Written over six delirious days\u2014the fruit of years of study\u2014Macuna\u00edma magically synthesizes dialect, folklore, anthropology, mythology, flora, fauna, and pop culture to examine Brazilian identity. This brilliant translation by Katrina Dodson has been many years in the making and includes an extensive section of notes, providing essential context for this magnificent work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Macuna\u00edma: The Hero with No Character<\/span><\/i> by M\u00e1rio de Andrade, translated by Katrina Dodson and with a contribution by Katrina Dodson and John Keene, is now out via <\/span>New Directions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the depths of the virgin-forest was born Macuna\u00edma, hero of our people. He was jet black and son to fear of the night. There came a moment when the silence grew so great listening to the murmuring Rio Uraricoera, that the native Tapanhumas woman birthed an ugly child. That child is the one they called Macuna\u00edma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as a boy he did bewildering things. First off he went more than six years without talking. If they coaxed him to talk he\u2019d holler:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh! just so lazy!…\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

and not a word more. He kept to a corner of the family maloca, perched on a platform of paxi\u00faba palm, watching the others work, specially his two brothers, Maanape the geezer and Jigu\u00ea in the prime of manhood. For fun he\u2019d pick the heads off sa\u00fava ants. All he did was lie around but if ever he set eyes on money, Macuna\u00edma would toddle for a penny. And he\u2019d perk up whenever the family went to bathe in the river, all naked together. He\u2019d spend the whole time diving underwater, and the women would squeal in delight on account of those guaiamum crabs said to inhabit the freshwater there. Back at the family mocambo if a girl came up to cuddle, Macuna\u00edma would stick his hand on her charms, the girl would jump back. As for the males he\u2019d spit in their faces. Nevertheless, he respected the elders and wholeheartedly joined in the murua the porac\u00ea the tor\u00ea the bacoror\u00f4 the cucuicogue, all the religious dances of the tribe.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it was time for bed he\u2019d climb into his little macuru, always forgetting to pee. Seeing as his mother\u2019s hammock was right under his hanging cradle, the hero\u2019s steaming piss would splash onto the old woman, shooing the mosquitoes real good. Then he\u2019d drift off dreaming of bad-words and outrageously immoral acts, kicking at the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the peak of day the women\u2019s chatter always came round to the hero\u2019s naughty pranks. They\u2019d laugh knowingly, remarking, \u201cThough you may be expectin\u2019 a little tickle, even a pipsqueak thorn packs a prickle,\u201d and during a Pajelan\u00e7a ceremony King Nag\u00f4 gave a speech and revealed that indeed the hero was intelligent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon as he turned six they gave him water out of a rattle and Macuna\u00edma started talking just like everybody else. And he asked his mother to put down the manioc she was grating and take him for a walk in the woods. His mother didn\u2019t want to cause she couldn\u2019t just put down the manioc, nossir. Macuna\u00edma sat whining all day long. At-night he kept wailing. The next day he waited with his left eye a-snoozing for his mother to start her work. Then he asked her to put down the basket she was weaving from gua-rum\u00e1-membeca grasses and take him for a walk in the woods. His mother didn\u2019t want to cause she couldn\u2019t just put down the basket, nossir. So she asked her daughter-in-law, Jigu\u00ea\u2019s gal, to take the boy. Jigu\u00ea\u2019s gal was very young and her name was Sofar\u00e1. She came up hesitating but this time Macuna\u00edma stayed stock-still without sticking his hand on anybody\u2019s charms. The girl put the kid on her back and went out to where the aninga lily grew along the banks of the river. The water had lingered there to plunk out a whimsical tune on the fronds of the javari palm. Off in the distance it was a pretty sight to see, with lotsa bigu\u00e1 and biguatinga birds darting round where the river branched off. The girl put Macuna\u00edma down on the shore but he started whining, there were too many ants!… and he asked Sofar\u00e1 to bring him up to the ridge deeper in the forest. The girl did. But no sooner did she lay the tot down among the tiriricas, taj\u00e1s and trapoerabas on the forest floor, than he grew manly in a flash and became a handsome prince. They were out there walking a good long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

When they got home to the maloca the girl seemed mighty worn out from carrying the kid on her back all day. It was because the hero had played around with her a whole lot\u2026 No sooner did she lay Macuna\u00edma in his hammock than Jigu\u00ea came back from net fishing and his gal hadn\u2019t done a lick of work. Jigu\u00ea flew off the handle and after picking for ticks really laid into her. Sofar\u00e1 weathered the blows without a peep.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jigu\u00ea didn\u2019t suspect a thing and started braiding a rope from curau\u00e1 fiber. He\u2019d just spotted some fresh tapir tracks and was fixing to make a trap to catch the critter. Macuna\u00edma asked his brother for a bit of curau\u00e1 but Jigu\u00ea said it weren\u2019t no kiddie toy. Macuna\u00edma started wailing again and it was one helluva night for them all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next day Jigu\u00ea got up bright and early to set the trap and seeing the kid pouting he said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, everybody\u2019s lil sweetheart.\u201d But Macuna\u00edma sulked silently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wanna talk to me, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m mad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Macuna\u00edma asked for some curau\u00e1 fiber. Jigu\u00ea glared at him and told his gal to get some twine for the boy. The girl did. Macuna\u00edma thanked her and went to ask the pai-de-terreiro to braid him a rope and blow some petum smoke over it.<\/span><\/p>\n

When everything was good and ready Macuna\u00edma asked his mother to leave her caxiri brew fermenting and take him for a walk in the woods. The old woman couldn\u2019t on account of her work but Jigu\u00ea\u2019s sly sweetie told her mother-in-law that she was \u201cat your command.\u201d And she went into the woods with the kid on her back.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she put him down among the carurus and sororocas on the forest floor, the little one started growing and turned into a handsome prince. He told Sofar\u00e1 to hold on a sec he\u2019d be right back so they could play around and went to lay a snare at the tapir\u2019s watering hole. No sooner did they get home from their walk, mighty late, than Jigu\u00ea also came back from setting his trap on the tapir\u2019s tracks. His gal hadn\u2019t done a lick of work. Jigu\u00ea was mad as heck and before picking for ticks really let her have it. But Sofar\u00e1 weathered the beating with patience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next day as the dawn rays were just clearing the treetops, Macuna\u00edma woke everybody up, bawling frightfully, to hurry! hurry over to the watering hole and fetch the critter he\u2019d caught!… However, nobody believed him and they started in on the day\u2019s work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Macuna\u00edma was very upset and asked Sofar\u00e1 to hop over to the watering hole real quick just to see. The girl did and came back telling everybody that in-fact there was a very big very dead tapir in the snare. The whole tribe went to fetch the critter, ruminating on the tot\u2019s intelligence. When Jigu\u00ea came home with his curau\u00e1 rope empty, he found everybody dressing the kill. He lent a hand. And while divvying it up, he didn\u2019t give Macuna\u00edma a single piece of meat, just the tripe. The hero swore vengeance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next day he asked Sofar\u00e1 to take him for a walk and they stayed in the woods till night-fall. No sooner did the boy touch the leafy forest floor than he turned into an ardent prince. They played around. After three go-rounds they ran through the forest cuddling each other. After the poking cuddles, they did the tickling cuddles, then buried each other in the sand, then burned each other with flaming straw, it was plenty of cuddling. Macuna\u00edma grabbed the trunk of a copa\u00edba and hid behind a piranhea. When Sofar\u00e1 came running, he whacked her in the head with the timber. It made such a gash that the girl fell writhing in laughter at his feet. She pulled him by a leg. Macuna\u00edma moaned with pleasure clutching the gigantic trunk. Then the girl bit off his big toe and swallowed it. Wailing with glee Macuna\u00edma tattooed her body with the blood from his foot. Then he flexed his muscles, lifting himself onto a vine trapeze, and leaped in a flash onto the piranhea\u2019s highest branch. Sofar\u00e1 clambered up after him. The tender limb bowed swaying under the prince\u2019s weight. When the girl made it up top they played around again swinging in the sky. After playing Macuna\u00edma wanted to cuddle Sofar\u00e1. He coiled his body ready to pounce in a frenzy but got no farther, the bough broke and down they went crashing all the way splat to the ground. When the hero came to, he looked round for the girl, she wasn\u2019t there. He was getting up to find her but piercing the silence from a low branch overhead came the fearsome yowling of a su\u00e7uarana cougar. The hero keeled over in fright and shut his eyes so he\u2019d be eaten without seeing. Then he heard a giggle and Macuna\u00edma got smacked in the chest with a gob of spit, it was the girl. Macuna\u00edma started chucking rocks at her and whenever she got hit, Sofar\u00e1 would shriek with excitement tattooing his body below with the blood she spat. Finally a rock clipped the girl right in the kisser and busted three teeth. She leaped off the branch and thwap! landed straddling the hero\u2019s belly as he wrapped his whole body round her, howling with pleasure. And they played around some more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Papaceia the star was twinkling in the sky by the time the girl got home looking mighty worn out from carrying the kid on her back for so long. But Jigu\u00ea, getting suspicious, had followed the pair into the woods witnessing the transformation and all the rest. Jigu\u00ea was a big dummy. He got real angry. Grabbed an armadillo-tail whip and whacked the hero\u2019s rump with all his might. The bellowing was so tremendous that it cut short the immensity of the night and lotsa birds fell to the ground in fright and were transformed into stone.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Jigu\u00ea could spank him no more, Macuna\u00edma ran out to the new growth in the clearing, chewed some cardeiro root and came back healed. Jigu\u00ea took Sofar\u00e1 back to her father and slept easy in his hammock.<\/span><\/p>\n

Translated by Katrina Dodson<\/span><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Papaceia the star was twinkling in the sky by the time the girl got home looking mighty worn out
\nfrom carrying the kid on her back for so long. But Jigu\u00ea, getting suspicious, had followed the
\npair into the woods witnessing the transformation and all the rest. Jigu\u00ea was a big dummy. He
\ngot real angry. Grabbed an armadillo-tail whip and whacked the hero\u2019s rump with all his might.
\nThe bellowing was so tremendous that it cut short the immensity of the night and lotsa birds fell
\nto the ground in fright and were transformed into stone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2893],"tags":[4514],"genre":[],"pretext":[],"section":[],"translator":[4506],"lal_author":[4504],"class_list":["post-25755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adelantos-de-traduccion-y-novedades-editoriales","tag-numero-26","translator-katrina-dodson-es","lal_author-mario-de-andrade-es"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/genre?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"pretext","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pretext?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/translator?post=25755"},{"taxonomy":"lal_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanliteraturetoday.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lal_author?post=25755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}