In 1897, Machado de Assis wrote to a friend showing gratitude and signs of physical fragility.
Handwritten letter from Machado de Assis to Mário.
One page, in Portuguese.
11.2 cm x 17.8 cm.
Rio de Janeiro, July 11, 1897.
In good condition; it has some old stains caused by the humidity typical of Rio de Janeiro.
The letter has been restored and is mounted on cardboard.
Unique piece.
This letter from Machado de Assis, dated July 11, 1897, was written at a significant moment in his life: just days before the founding of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, of which he served as its first president. In it, Machado thanks his friend Mário—probably Mário de Alencar—for sending him medicine, mentioning that his health was improving.
Machado de Assis suffered primarily from epilepsy, a condition that had plagued him since his youth and which, at the time, was surrounded by prejudice and misunderstanding. Furthermore, he showed signs of nervous exhaustion, anxiety, and possible depression, which made him reserved and introspective. In old age, he also faced vision problems, which further aggravated his physical fragility. These health problems influenced his lifestyle and, possibly, his writing, marked by a keen insight into the human soul.
This letter from 1897, in which he thanks a friend for medicine, reveals precisely this vulnerable and human side of the writer.
