"Includes preface by Arnaldo Niskier and an essay on Couto's poetry by Mariz. Covers various genres in which Couto wrote: 40 poems selected from his early penumbrismo work Jardim das confidências (1915-19) and later work Longe (1947-60), six short stories, and crônicas. Also includes 11 reviews by critics such as Mário de Andrade, Manuel Bandeira, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, and José Lins de Rego. Author occupies a special place among Brazilian poets, as Mário de Andrade notes, for his 'suburban lyricism;' or as Carlos Drummond de Andrade reiterates, for his 'tenderness, sweetness, and humor without corrosiveness.'"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.