Realism | Lecturia

Clarice Lispector: The Smallest Woman in the World

“The Smallest Woman in the World” (A menor mulher do mundo) is a short story by Clarice Lispector, published in 1960 in the book Laços de família. In the depths of equatorial Africa, the French explorer Marcel Pretre discovers a tribe of extraordinarily tiny pygmies and, among them, an even smaller woman: a human figure scarcely forty-five centimeters tall, whom he names Little Flower. Astonished by the discovery, the explorer decides to study her, while news and a photograph of the tiny woman spread through the newspapers, provoking a range of reactions among those who gaze upon her image.

Juan Carlos Onetti: The Cat

“The Cat” is a short story by Juan Carlos Onetti, published in the collection Liminar in 1980. The story follows John, a cynical and distant Englishman, who confesses to a friend the reason behind his decision not to marry. In his account, he recalls a former engagement to Marie, a French woman with whom he was deeply in love. Everything was ready for them to begin their life together, until an unexpected and strange situation changed the course of their plans.

Guy de Maupassant: Boule de Suif

“Boule de Suif” is Guy de Maupassant’s most emblematic short story, the one that marked his rise to literary stardom. Published in 1880, it recounts the flight of a motley group of people from Rouen amid the turmoil of the Franco-Prussian War. Among the passengers are three upper-class couples, two nuns, a self-proclaimed revolutionary, and a well-known prostitute nicknamed Boule de Suif. Throughout the journey, Boule de Suif emerges as a shy and generous figure, selflessly concerned for the well-being of her companions. In return, however, she faces disdain, humiliation, and hypocrisy.

Jean Paul Sartre: Erostratus

“Erostratus” (Érostrate) is a short story by Jean-Paul Sartre, published in 1939 in the book Le Mur. It tells the story of a solitary and resentful man who observes humanity with a mixture of superiority and revulsion. Obsessed with the pursuit of infamous glory and inspired by the figure of Erostratus—who in antiquity set fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus for the sole purpose of passing into posterity—he acquires a revolver and begins to plan a crime that will grant him the fame he believes he needs in order to transcend his own insignificance.

Bertolt Brecht: The unseemly old lady

“The Unseemly Old Lady” (Die unwürdige Greisin) is a short story by Bertolt Brecht, written in 1939 and first published in the collection Kalendergeschichten (1949). It recounts the life of a woman who, after her husband’s death, finds herself faced with a dilemma: whether to depend on her children or fend for herself. Against all expectations, she rejects her family’s guardianship and chooses to live alone, accepting only modest financial support. From that moment on, she begins to chart her own course through small acts of independence that bewilder her children and arouse the curiosity of the townspeople.

Juan Rulfo: Macario

“Macario,” a short story by Juan Rulfo included in El llano en llamas (1953), is an intimate narrative that immerses us in the world of a young man with an intellectual disability under the care of his godmother. Caught between violence and tenderness, Macario finds solace in his relationship with Felipa, an alternative maternal figure. The narration captures his daily struggle, his simple desires, and his peculiar view of life, offering a window into his deepest thoughts and his marginal existence.