A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening: A Novel [Paperback]

Mário de Carvalho (Author), Gregory Rabassa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2001 | Series: Pegasus Prize for Literature

Winner of the Portuguese Writers' Association Grand Prize for Fiction and the Pegasus Prize for Literature, and a best-seller in Portugal, Mario de Carvalho's A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening is a vivid and affecting historical novel set at the twilight of the Roman Empire and the dawn of the Christian era. Lucius Valerius Quintius is prefect of the fictitious city of Tarcisis, charged to defend it against menaces from without -- Moors invading the Iberian peninsula -- and from within -- the decadent complacency of the Pax Romana. Lucius's devotion to civic duty undergoes its most crucial test when Iunia Cantaber, the beautiful, charismatic leader of the outlawed Christian sect, is brought before his court. A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening is a timeless story of an era beset by radical upheaval and a man struggling to reconcile his heart, his ethics, and his civic duty.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Winner of the 1996 Pegasus Prize for literature, this novel is the memoir of a fictional Roman magistrate. Lucius Valerius Quintius is ruler of the small city of Tarcisis, located in Lusitania (now Portugal) at the end of the second century. He struggles with many serious problems?Moors are attacking from North Africa, and there is plenty of social and political unrest. Civil unrest looms when he procrastinates in making a decision dealing with the Christians within his walls. Without admitting it, he has fallen in love with Iunia Cantaber, the beautiful daughter of a lifelong friend. She is the leader of the Christians and continually tests Lucius?should he do what is honorable and just or what the majority want him to do? Trying to follow the example of his hero, Marcus Aurelius, he attempts to handle every problem justly, even when everything around him is crumbling. De Carvalho has published numerous novels, short story collections, and plays, but this is his first work to be translated into English. Beautifully crafted and written, it is a jewel. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.?Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

In Rome, Marcus Aurelius is Emperor, and in faraway Lusitania, in a city called Tarcisis, on the western edge of the Iberian peninsula in what will one day be Portugal, Lucius Valerius Quintius is his humble servant--the duumvir, or magistrate. Dedicated and loyal, Lucius lives in a contentious time, caught between the dominance of what he calls 'Romanity'--built on its Latin heritage as well as the Empire's global reach--and the fast-growing influence of the cult of Christianity.... Elegant and erudite, Carvalho's novel is an absorbing study of a single man's moral code, as well as a provocative meditation on the difficulty of leading a virtuous life in as era of tumultuous change. -- The New York Times Book Review, Erik Burns --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (February 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802137741
• ISBN-13: 978-0802137746
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction to Be Savored in the Cool of an Evening, July 25, 2002

By 

James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening (Pegasus Prize for Literature) (Hardcover)

Quite frankly, I was drawn to Carvalho's excellent novel by a combination of three factors: (1) The title was fascinating; (2) I am a sucker for fiction set in Roman times; and (3) the translator was Gregory Rabassa.

Picture to yourself a basically good men who was the magistrate of a small city in Roman Portugal (then called Lusitania) during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Lucius Valerius Quintius is basically a good man who is left to his own devices because his social peers could not care to help shoulder the burden of governing.

But suddenly, news is heard of a large group of Moors that have crossed the Mediterranean and are pillaging Lusitanian towns. In addition, a small group of Christians is playing havoc with the local citizenry, who suspect them of cannibalism or worse. Quintius fortifies the town and helps to foil a Moorish attack, but he finds the Christians to be a stickier problem.

To begin with, he is fascinated by Iunia Cantaber, a well-born widow who, as leader of the Christian community, has a lemming drive toward martyrdom. The crises lead to an energizing of the citizenry, who begin to push Quintius farther than he wants and leads to a trial, which has a surprising outcome -- that I will not divulge -- and the outcome is that Quintius is forced to take on the Christians. After the trial, he takes the hint and surrenders his office to retire to his villa.

Christianity has suffered a setback in Tarcisis, but the God who strolls in the cool of an evening bides His time. A good men has been befuddled -- but isn't that always what happens in the political arena?

Carvalho's novel falls under the heading of light fiction. It partakes of a gentle irony that wears well through its length. The translation is by the great Gregory Rabassa, whose renderings of Latin-American fiction by Jorge Amado and Gabriel Garcia Marquez have made his name a standard of quality.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The value of character...., June 19, 2001

By 

J. O'Kelly "therealjermo" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening: A Novel (Paperback)

First things first - _A God Strolling..._ was an engaging read. Previous reviewers have touched on the excellent development of setting and atmosphere, and I agree that de Carvalho pulls the reader into a colorful and complex representation of the Roman Empire at the precise moment it began to wane. The book is certainly worth reading for this reason alone, especially for those interested in historical fiction.

But above all, the book is a character study; the protagonist Quintius is its focus. As a character study, the book left me wanting a bit more - it's not the study of a strong and inspiring character as the other reviews here suggest. The N.Y. Times review above focuses on his "moral code, as well as a provocative meditation on the difficulty of leading a virtuous life in as era of tumultuous change." Quintius is a reluctant magistrate, forced into the seat of power by lazy demagogues who would rather not be burdened with responsibility. And though Quintius holds steadfastly to his perception of duty as a Roman citizen, his perception is out of step with the society around him. Rather than drawing strength from his convictions and being a strong ruler, he seems buffeted by the sea of events around him: political rivals, threats from without, the emerging Christian faith within his city, and a strange obsession with a female, Iunia.

In short this is not an inspiring story of the triumph of a moral soul, but a study of the torture of seeing things differently than the masses. If this was the author's desired effect, then the book is an unqualified success. However, I thought some of the tools used in reaching this end were under-developed. Quintius' obsession with Iunia drives the novel near the end, and I never understood the motivation for this relationship (admittedly, I guess neither did Quintius...). And ultimately, I hoped to see a development or substantial change in the protagonist in the end, and found little.

Readers who enjoy Jose Saramago will likely find de Carvalho interesting. I enjoyed reading the book. I don't know if I _liked_ the book. If you crave historical ambiance, or generating feelings of uneasiness in yourself, you will enjoy reading the book. I'm not sure if you'll _like_ it either, though...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An evocative historical novel, February 5, 1999

By 

A. Nelson (London) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening (Pegasus Prize for Literature) (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have dealt with the plot and setting of this book. For me, its principal value lies in its evocation of the details of daily life in a remote area of the Roman empire. The most inspired scene is the one where the Duumvir takes a night stroll along the aquaduct, above the city streets. A possible weakness is the rather self-conscious treatment of the early Christian doctrines and practices. But a very interesting and rewarding read.