Customer Reviews

Cronicas Brasileiras: A Portuguese Reader (University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies)

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In this book, the author has selected authentic Brazilian short writings, previously published, as a basis for teaching Portuguese. The writings are fascinating glimpses into the culture of Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro, both in contemporary and past periods. The exercises are well prepared and the examples clearly show what needs to be done; my only request would be for an answer key. This book is geared for the intermediate student of Portuguese who wants to learn more.

A friend and I are studying Portuguese using Rosetta Stone Portuguese (Brazil) Level 1 & 2 Win/Mac Personal Edition, Brazilian podcasts, and other sources. I thought a reader would be nice to have. There are tons of French readers of various levels, but Portuguese ones are surprisingly scarce. I took a chance on this one.

What I noticed right away is that the book has never even been typeset! I couldn't believe my eyes...it appears to have been printed straight from a typewritten page. It's hard to read, because first of all the type is small, and second of all, the baselines are uneven! It was first published around 1970, and it seems to have never been updated, merely reprinted, since then.

The book takes newspaper stories and gives you a vocabulary and a quiz after each one. There are about 40 stories in it. It is not a beginner level book by my estimation, at least I can't understand a blessed thing in it. I think as we progress in our studies, the book may come in handy later on as we learn more words.

The book is of course Brazilian Portuguese rather than European Portuguese. One thing it does have in its favor is a pretty extensive dictionary of common words and expressions.

In the meantime, the search is on for the ideal. This is about all there is available for the time being. I would like to see the book updated with a bigger, more easily-read typeface and new stories.

Crônicas Brasileiras stands the test of time as one of the great "slice of life" books for anyone interested in Brazilian culture and language. I used it first as a student in the early 1980's and have continued to use it as a teacher. The editors have done an excellent job selecting stories that immerse the reader in Brazilian culture and language. My students and I thoroughly enjoy the stories. Over the years I have probably reread each one twenty times and I still enjoy them. They are a great introduction to so many wonderful Brazilian authors.

The book is guided towards the advanced Brazilian Portuguese learner. The stories are interesting and witty, usually about urban life in Rio de Janeiro around the 1960s.

It gives a good view of how middle class Brazilians lived at that time.
The short stories are written by famous Brazilian writers and side notes translate difficult phrases or expressions to English.

For the intermediate level learners, it would require a wide vocabulary and a very good knowledge of verb tenses, so I would recommend this book to an advanced learner. Great funny stories even for fluent or native Portuguese speakers.