The Bewitching Braid (novel)
1993 novel by Henrique de Senna Fernandes
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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.[1] The English translation of this novel was published by Hong Kong University Press in 2004, with translation by David Brookshaw.[2] 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 (澳門文化司署) in 1996.[3]
| 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 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.[4]
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".[5] 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[s] a tendency towards a Chinese style of art appreciation."[1]
Release outside of Macau and Hong Kong
The HKU Press English version is distributed in the United States by University of Chicago Press.[6]
In Brazil, the novel is published by Gryphus.[7]