A bright, witty excursion through the fictional letters of a turn-of-century dandy who hilariously edifies, entertains, infuriates, and endears

JOSÉ MARIA DE EÇA DE QUEIRÓS (1845-1900) is Portugal's foremost author of the nineteenth century and its most celebrated novelist before José Saramago. GREGORY RABASSA is the preeminent translator from the Spanish and Portuguese.