José Mauro de Vasconcelos

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Jose Mauro De Vasconcelos

Fifty years after its first publication, the multimillion-copy international bestseller is available again in English, sharing the heartbreaking tale of a gifted, mischievous, direly misunderstood boy growing up in Rio de Janeiro. When the precocious Zeze grows up, he wants to be a poet in a bow tie. But for now he entertains himself playing clever pranks on the residents of his Rio de Janeiro shantytown, stunts for which his parents and siblings punish him soundly. Now that his father is out of work, the beatings have become harsher, and life has gotten bleaker. Zeze's only solace comes from his time at school, his hours secretly spent singing with a Bahian street musician, or his time of refuge with his magical orange tree, which both listens and offers him sage advice. But finally, Zeze meets a real friend and his life begins to change -- opening him up to both human tenderness and wrenching sorrow. Never out of print in Brazil since it was first published in 1968, My Sweet Orange Tree, inspired by the author's own childhood, has been translated into many languages and has won the hearts of millions of young readers across the globe.

My Sweet Orange Tree

Aurore

The years have passed, my dear Manuel Valadares. I am forty-eight years old now and sometimes I miss you so much I feel like I am still a child. 

I imagine that at any moment you’ll appear with trading cards and marbles. It was you who taught me what tenderness is, my dear Portuga.

Today I am the one who tries to hand out marbles and trading cards, because life without tenderness isn’t very special. Sometimes I am happy in my tenderness, and sometimes I think I’m kidding myself, which is more common.

Back then. Back in our time, I didn’t know that many years earlier, an idiot prince had knelt before an altar and asked the saints, his eyes full of tears:

 ‘Why do they tell little children so much so young?’

The truth, my dear Portuga, is that they told me things way too soon.

"You're mean, Baby Jesus. I thought you were going to be good to me this time and you go and do this? Why don't you like me as much as the other boys?"

beth

It's the most sorrowful book I've ever read

Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos

This is the growing-up story of a precocious Brazilian boy Zezé who secretly spent hours singing with a street singer and making friend with his precious orange tree... to escape from his harsh family life. Vietnamese translation by Nguyen Bich Lan and To Yen Ly.

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