Moacyr Jaime Scliar (March 23, 1937February 27, 2011) was a Brazilian writer and physician. Most of his writing centers on issues of
Jewish identity
Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under a broader definition, Jewish identity does not depend on whether a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an exte ...
in the
Diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
and particularly on being Jewish in Brazil.
Scliar is best known outside Brazil for his 1981 novel ''
Max and the Cats
''Max and the Cats'' is a 1981 novella by Brazilian writer and physician Moacyr Scliar. It was first published in Portuguese, then published in English in 1990. It tells the story of Max Schmidt, born in Berlin in 1912, who comes of age just be ...
'' (''Max e os Felinos''), the story of a young German
man who flees
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
after he comes to the attention of the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
for having had an
affair
An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of ...
with a married woman. En route to Brazil, his ship sinks, and he finds himself alone in a
dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, whic ...
with a
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
who had been travelling in the
hold
Hold may refer to:
Physical spaces
* Hold (ship), interior cargo space
* Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane
* Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferma ...
.
[Mitgang, Herbert]
"Books of The Times; Fleeing the Nazis With a Jaguar That May Be Real"
''The New York Times'', July 11, 1990.
Background
Scliar was born in
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...
,
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...
, into a Jewish family that immigrated to Brazil from
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...
in 1919. He graduated in medicine in 1962, majoring in
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
. He first worked at the Jewish Hospital for the Elderly in Porto Alegre, and later worked in the public health field in
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
prevention and treatment.
Writing
A prolific writer, Scliar published over 100 books in
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, covering various literary genres: short stories; novels; young adult fiction; children's books; and essays.
In 1962, his first book ''Stories of a Doctor in Training'' was published, although later on he regretted having published it so young. His second book ''The Carnival of the Animals'' was published in 1968.
In a recent autobiographical piece, Scliar discusses his membership of the Jewish, medical,
Gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
, and Brazilian tribes. His novel ''The Centaur in the Garden'' was included among the 100 Greatest Works of Modern Jewish Literature by The National Yiddish Book Center. In an interview with Judith Bolton-Fasman published in ''The Jewish Reader'', August 2003, Scliar commented on his use of the
centaur
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as bein ...
as a metaphor: "The centaur is a symbol of the double identity, characteristic of Jews in a country like Brazil. At home, you speak Yiddish, eat gefilte fish, and celebrate Shabbat. But in the streets, you have soccer, samba, and Portuguese. After a while you feel like a centaur."
Translations
Scliar's fiction has been translated into English, Dutch, French, Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Czech, Serbian, Georgian, Slovene and Danish. His translated fiction is listed in the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
international bibliography of translations.
Awards and recognitions
*2003 — Elected a lifetime member of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters.
*2009
São Paulo Prize for Literature
The São Paulo Prize for Literature ( pt, Prêmio São Paulo de Literatura) is a Brazilian literary prize for novels written in the Portuguese language and published in Brazil. It was established in 2008 by the Secretary of Culture for the State ...
— Shortlisted in the Best Book of the Year category for ''Manual da Paixão Solitária''
*2010 São Paulo Prize for Literature — Chosen to serve as a member of the Final Jury
Works in English
Books
*''The Centaur in the Garden'', Translator: Margaret A. Neves
*''The Gods of Raquel'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''
The One-Man Army'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The Carnival of the Animals'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The Ballad of the False Messiah'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The Volunteers'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The Enigmatic Eye'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''Max and the Cats '', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli''
*''The Collected Stories of Moacyr Scliar'', Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
*''The War in Bom Fim'', Translator: David William Foster
*''Kafka's Leopards'', Translator Thomas O. Beebee
Short Stories in Anthologies
*''Inside My Dirty Head - The Holocaust'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in ''TROPICAL SYNAGOGUES: SHORT STORIES BY JEWISH LATIN AMERICAN WRITERS'', editor Ilan Stavans
*''The Plagues'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in ''A HAMMOCK BENEATH THE MANGOES - STORIES FROM LATIN AMERICA'', editor Thomas Colchie
* ''Van Gogh's Ear'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in ''THE VINTAGE BOOK OF LATIN AMERICAN STORIES'', editors Carlos Fuentes and Julio Ortega
* ''The Prophets of Benjamin Bok'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in ''WITH SIGNS AND WONDER: AN INTERNATIONAL ANTHOLOGY OF JEWISH FABULIST FICTION'', editor Daniel M. Jaffe
* ''The Ballad of the False Messiah'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in '' THE OXFORD BOOK OF JEWISH STORIES'', editor Ilan Stavans
*''The Cow'' ; ''The Last Poor Man'', translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in '' THE OXFORD ANTHOLOGY OF THE BRAZILIAN SHORT STORY'', editor K. David Jackson
Works in Portuguese
Books
Short stories
* ''O carnaval dos animais''. Porto Alegre, Movimento, 1968
* ''A balada do falso Messias''. São Paulo, Ática, 1976
* ''Histórias da terra trêmula''. São Paulo, Escrita, 1976
* ''O anão no televisor''. Porto Alegre, Globo, 1979
* ''Os melhores contos de Moacyr Scliar''. São Paulo, Global, 1984
* ''Dez contos escolhidos''. Brasília, Horizonte, 1984
* ''O olho enigmático''. Rio, Guanabara, 1986
* ''Contos reunidos''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1995
* ''O amante da Madonna''. Porto Alegre, Mercado Aberto, 1997
* ''Os contistas''. Rio, Ediouro, 1997
* ''Histórias para (quase) todos os gostos''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1998
* ''Pai e filho, filho e pai''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 2002
* '. Rio de Janeiro, Agir, 2009.
Novels
* ''A guerra no Bom Fim''. Rio, Expressão e Cultura, 1972. Porto Alegre, L&PM,
* ''
O Exército de um Homem Só''. Rio, Expressão e Cultura, 1973. Porto Alegre, L&PM,
* ''Os deuses de Raquel''. Rio, Expressão e Cultura, 1975. Porto Alegre, L&PM,
* ''O ciclo das águas''. Porto Alegre, Globo, 1975; Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1996,
* ''Mês de cães danados''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1977,
* ''Doutor Miragem''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1979,
* ''Os voluntários''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1979,
* ''
O Centauro no Jardim
O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...
''. Rio, Nova Fronteira, 1980. Porto Alegre, L&PM (Tradução francesa:"Le centaure dans le jardin" ),Presses de la Renaissance, Paris, , 1985
* ''Max e os felinos''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1981,
* ''A estranha nação de Rafael Mendes''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1983,
* ''Cenas da vida minúscula''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1991,
* ''Sonhos tropicais''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1992,
* ''A majestade do Xingu''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1997,
* ''A mulher que escreveu a Bíblia''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1999,
* ''Os leopardos de Kafka''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 2000,
* ''Uma história farroupilha''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 2004,
* ''Na noite do ventre, o diamante''. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Objetiva, 2005,
* ''Ciumento de carteirinha'' Editora Ática, 2006,
* ''Os vendilhões do templo'' Companhia das Letras, 2006,
* ''Manual da paixão solitária''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, , 2008
* ''Eu vos abraço, milhões''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, . 2010
Children and Youth Fiction
* ''Cavalos e obeliscos''. Porto Alegre, Mercado Aberto, 1981; São Paulo, Ática, 2001,
* ''A festa no castelo''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1982,
* ''Memórias de um aprendiz de escritor''. São Paulo, Cia. Editora Nacional, 1984*,
* ''No caminho dos sonhos''. São Paulo, FTD, 1988,
* ''O tio que flutuava''. São Paulo, Ática, 1988,
* ''Os cavalos da República''. São Paulo, FTD, 1989,
* ''Pra você eu conto''. São Paulo, Atual, 1991,
* ''Uma história só pra mim''. São Paulo, Atual, 1994,
* ''Um sonho no caroço do abacate''. São Paulo, Global, 1995,
* ''O Rio Grande farroupilha''. São Paulo, Ática, 1995,
* ''Câmera na mão, o guarani no coração''. São Paulo, Ática, 1998,
* ''A colina dos suspiros''. São Paulo, Moderna, 1999,
* ''O livro da medicina''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letrinhas, 2000,
* ''O mistério da casa verde''. São Paulo, Ática, 2000,
* ''O ataque do comando P.Q''. São Paulo, Ática, 2001,
* ''O sertão vai virar mar''. São Paulo, Ática, 2002,
* ''Aquele estranho colega, o meu pai''. São Paulo, Atual, 2002,
* ''Éden-Brasil''. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 2002,
* ''O irmão que veio de longe''. Idem, idem,
* ''Nem uma coisa, nem outra''. Rio, Rocco, 2003,
* ''Aprendendo a amar - e a curar''. São Paulo, Scipione, 2003,
* ''Navio das cores''. São Paulo, Berlendis & Vertecchia, 2003,
* ''
Livro de Todos - O Mistério do Texto Roubado''. São Paulo, Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, 2008. Obra coletiva (Moacyr Scliar e vários autores),
Chronicles
* ''A massagista japonesa''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1984
* ''Um país chamado infância''. Porto Alegre, Sulina, 1989
* ''Dicionário do viajante insólito''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1995
* ''Minha mãe não dorme enquanto eu não chegar''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1996. Artes e Ofícios, 2001
* ''O imaginário cotidiano''. São Paulo, Global, 2001
* ''A língua de três pontas: crônicas e citações sobre a arte de falar mal''. Porto Alegre
Essays
* ''A condição judaica''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1987
* ''Do mágico ao social: a trajetória da saúde pública''. Porto Alegre, L&PM, 1987; SP, Senac, 2002
* ''Cenas médicas''. Porto Alegre, Editora da Ufrgs, 1988. Artes&Ofícios, 2002
* ''Enígmas da culpa''. São Paulo, Objetiva, 2007
References
Bibliography
* Florina Florescu, "Of Genes, Mutations, and Desires in Franz Kafka’s ''The Metamorphosis'' and Moacyr Scliar’s ''The Centaur in the Garden'' Catalina," in Elizabeth Klaver (ed), ''The Body in Medical Culture'' (Albany (NY), SUNY Press, 2010),
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scliar, Moacyr
1937 births
2011 deaths
Brazilian writers
Brazilian science fiction writers
Jewish writers
Brazilian Ashkenazi Jews
Brazilian public health doctors
Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
People from Porto Alegre
Brazilian medical writers
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul alumni