The Enigmatic Eye by Moacyr Scliar. New York. 1989. Available Press. paperback. 100 pages. March 1989. Cover: Don Munson. Paperback Original. Translated from the Portuguese by Eloah F. Giacomelli. 0345359690.
FROM THE PUBLISHER -
Here are the shortest of all of Moacyr Scliar’s short stories, over two dozen gems such as ‘Root Canal Treatment,’ ‘Atlas,’ ‘A Brief History of Capitalism,’ ‘Peace and War’ ‘Life and Death of a Terrorist,’ and ‘Genesis: ’ Why not sample Scliar now? Open to any story and read it as you stand here in the book- store. You will have entered the magical country of one of the world’s premier storytellers. And after you’ve read all of THE ENIGMATIC EYE, you’ll be able to read the other collections, THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS and THE BALLAD OF THE FALSE MESSIAH. Moacyr Scliar has in the last five years become widely known to English-language readers through four novels and his stories. On publication of his latest novel, THE STRANGE NATION OF RAFAEL MENDES, Alan Ryan noted Scliar’s unique character, ‘Scliar’s voice is a fresh one, his artistic roots as firmly fixed in Jewish tradition and mythology as they are in Brazil’s literary history. Given the breadth and depth of Brazilian artistic life, it is not at all surprising that her latest literary invention - original, fascinating, powerful, compelling and everything good that can be said about a novel - comes from the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants: ’ (original title: O olho enigmatico, 1986 - Editora Guanabara S.A., Rio de Janeiro).
Moacyr Scliar was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he was a practicing physician in public health since 1969. He was born in 1937 and took his degree in 1962 at the Faculty of Medicine in Porto Alegre. His other novels in translation are THE ONE-MAN ARMY, THE GODS OF RAQUEL, and his famous THE CENTAUR IN THE GARDEN.