The Woman Who Killed the Fish

Description

“That woman who killed the fish unfortunately is me,” begins the title story, but “if it were my fault, I’d own up to you, since I don’t lie to boys and girls. I only lie sometimes to a certain type of grownup because there’s no other way.” Enumerating all the animals she’s loved–cats, dogs, lizards, chickens, monkeys–Clarice finally asks: “Do you forgive me?”

“The Mystery of the Thinking Rabbit” is a detective story which explains that bunnies think with their noses: for a single idea a bunny might “scrunch up his nose fifteen thousand times” (he may not be too bright, but “he’s not foolish at all when it comes to making babies”). The third tale, “Almost True,” is a shaggy dog yarn narrated by a pooch who is very worried about a wicked witch: “I am a dog named Ulisses and my owner is Clarice.” The wonderful last story, “Laura’s Intimate Life” stars “the nicest hen I’ve ever seen.” Laura is “quite dumb,” but she has her “little thoughts and feelings. Not a lot, but she’s definitely got them. Just knowing she’s not completely dumb makes her feel all chatty and giddy. She thinks that she thinks.” A one-eyed visitor from Jupiter arrives and vows Laura will never be eaten: she’s been worrying, because “humans are a weird sort of person” who can love hens and eat them, too. Such throwaway wisdom abounds: “Don’t even get me started.” These delightful, high-hearted stories, written for her own boys, have charm to burn–and are a treat for every Lispector reader.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Contributors: Clarice Lispector,Benjamin Moser (Translator)
Published: 09/27/2022
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 9780811229609
Pages: 80
Weight: 0.57lbs
Size: 0.42″ H x 9.07″ L x 6.25″ W

About the Author
Lispector, Clarice: – Clarice Lispector (1920-1977), the greatest Brazilian writer of the twentieth century, has been called “astounding” (Rachel Kushner), “a penetrating genius” (Donna Seaman, Booklist), and “one of the twentieth century’s most mysterious writers” (Orhan Pamuk).Moser, Benjamin: – General editor of the new translations of Clarice Lispector’s complete works at New Directions, Benjamin Moser is the author of Why This World: The Biography of Clarice Lispector; Sontag: Her Life and Work, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; and The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters.