| The Bewitching Braid | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 大辮子的誘惑 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 大辫子的诱惑 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | The attraction of the big braid | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Portuguese name | |||||||||||
| Portuguese | A Trança Feiticeira | ||||||||||
The Bewitching Braid (Portuguese: A Trança Feiticeira) is a 1993 novel by Henrique de Senna Fernandes, of Macau. It was written originally in Portuguese and published by Fundação Oriente [pt; zh]. the English translation of this novel was published by Hong Kong University Press in 2004, with translation by David Brookshaw. The Chinese translation, Dà Biànzi de Yòuhuò (大辮子的誘惑), translated by Yu Hui Yuan, was published by the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau [zh] (澳門文化司署) in 1996.
The novel was adapted into a 1996 film, The Bewitching Braid.
According to Brookshaw, the novel was "politically correct" as the Handover of Macau was imminent. Brookshaw compared the plot to that of Escrava Isaura.
Plot
The novel is about a relationship between a Macanese man and a Chinese woman. The story is set in the 1930s.
Adozindo, the man, is of mixed Chinese, Dutch, and Portuguese heritage; according to Brooks, his education was geared towards commercial enterprise and "rudimentary". A-Leng, the woman, is of Chinese heritage.
The resolution in which the couple stays together and raises a family, according to Wang Chun, reflects Chinese culture and "especially show a tendency towards a Chinese style of art appreciation."
Release outside of Macau and Hong Kong
The HKU Press English version is distributed in the United States by University of Chicago Press.
In Brazil, the novel is published by Gryphus.
References
- Brookshaw, David (2000). "Imperial Diasporas and the Search for Authenticity. The Macanese Fiction of Henrique de Senna Fernandes". Lusotopie: Enjeux Contemporains dans les Espaces Lusophones. 7 (1): 271–282. - PDF
Notes
- ^ Wang, Chun. "MACANESE LITERATURE OF PORTUGUESE EXPRESSION". Translated by Mali Edmonds. Cultural Affairs Bureau. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- "The Bewitching Braid". Hong Kong University Press. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- "大辮子的誘惑". Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau [zh]. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- Brookshaw, "Imperial Diasporas and the Search for Authenticity," p. 279.
- Brooks, p. 278.
- The Bewitching Braid. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- "A Trança Feiticeira". Gryphus. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
Further reading
- Suárez, José (2015). ""Exoticism, Cultural Hybridity, and Subaltern Identity in Three Macanese Novels"". Hispanic Studies Faculty Publications. University of Northern Colorado.
- Suárez, José (2020). "Novels and Short Stories from Macau: Two Different Perspectives". Journal of Lusophone Studies. 5 (1): 224–237. doi:10.21471/jls.v5i1.323. - PDF
External links
- The source novel on Google Books (English translation published by Hong Kong University Press, 2004, translation by David Brookshaw)
- The Bewitching Braid - Hong Kong University Press
- The Bewitching Braid - University of Chicago Press
- A Trança Feiticeira - Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau [zh] (in Portuguese)