Hilda Hilst
Pushkin Press
4 March 2025
80
eBook - PDF
Fiction
ARC via Edelweiss
The Obscene Madame D is the first work by acclaimed Brazilian author Hilda Hilst to be published in English. Radically irreverent and formally impious, this novel portrays an unyielding radical intelligence, a sixty-year-old woman who decides to live in the recess under the stairs. In her diminutive space, Madame D--for dereliction--relives the perplexity of her recently deceased lover who cannot comprehend her rejection of common sense, sex, and a simple life, in favor of metaphysical speculations that he supposes to be delusional and vain.
I struggled a little with the prose in The Obscene Madame D. Despite the short length of the story, I just couldn't get into the style of the writing, which served to limit my ability to fully follow the events clearly too. At first glance the premise of the piece was one that caught my interest, but the execution simply didn't work for me. Nonetheless, I could see the depth and interest of the story, even if I couldn't fully appreciate it, so I am giving this one three stars. Maybe it was the wrong book for me, or perhaps just the wrong reading time. I liked another book by this author, so maybe if I revisit this one again in the future it will click with me better.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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