Classic Final (Machado de Assis)

Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis

It’s okay, whatever the solution may be, one thing remains, and it’s the pinnacle of pinnacles, or the dregs of the dregs, to wit, that my first girlfriend and my best friend, both so loving and so dear too, it was destiny’s wish that they ended up getting together and deceiving me… May the earth be light for them! Let’s get to the History of the Suburbs.

This is the ending of Dom Casmurro, published in 1899 by Machado de Assis, the biggest name in Brazilian realism - and perhaps the most well-known Brazilian author outside Brazil. The fictional memoir of a jealous and suspicious husband is widely regarded as one of the best novels in the Portuguese language.