| The Maias | |
|---|---|
Cover of volume 1 in the first edition (1888) |
|
| Author(s) | José Maria de Eça de Queiroz |
| Original title | Os Maias |
| Translator | Patricia McGowen Pinheiro Ann Stevens |
| Country | Portugal |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Publisher | Livraria Internacional de Ernesto Chardron, Lugan e Genelioux |
| Publication date | 1888 |
| Published in English |
1965 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 990 458pp (Vol. 1) 532pp (Vol. 2) |
Os Maias: episódios da vida romântica ("The Maias: Episodes of Romantic Life", Maia being the name of a fictional family, although some episodes fit into the history of the real Maia family) is a naturalist novel by Portuguese author José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, also known under the modernized spelling Eça de Queirós.
As early as 1878, while serving in the Portuguese consulate at Newcastle upon Tyne, Eça had at least given a name to this book and had begun work on it. It was largely written during his later residence in Bristol, and was first published in 1888.
The book largely concerns the life of young aristocrat Carlos da Maia in 1870s Portugal, where along with his friend João da Ega he spends his time making witticisms about society and having affairs. The novel uses the Monarchy's decline in Portugal (late 19th century), as a predominant theme, reflecting its author's own regret at his country's slow decay.
Its reading has been, for a long time, compulsory for 11th year students in Portugal.
The first English translation, by Patricia McGowan Pinheiro and Ann Stevens was published in 1965 by St. Martins Press. In 2007 Dedalus Books published a new English translation by Margaret Jull Costa which won the 2008 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize.
In 2001 Rede Globo produced their acclaimed adaptation of Os Maias (including some elements from Eça's short novel A Relíquia, "The Relic") as a short soap-opera type serial in 40 chapters, which was shown from Tuesday to Friday during a ten week period. It starred a very select group of Brazilian actors, most of them with long careers on TV, theatre and cinema. The screenplay was adapted by the renowned soap opera writer Maria Adelaide Amaral and directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho. This is considered one of the most outstanding Globo productions in terms of photographic and overall artistic quality, but failed miserably, with low television ratings (often lower than a 9% audience share).
Paula Rego painted a series of pastels, inspired by this novel, which have been exhibited in London.