Álvares de Azevedo e a ambigüidade da orgia

The tales of Noite na taverna [“Night in the Tavern”], by Álvaresde Azevedo, are often described as “fantastic stories”. As a matter of fact, insteadof exploring the supernatural (as might be supposed) they are storiesprimary focused on human depravation, crimes and death. Although they arepresented by the leading characters as reports of their past adventures, thereare many indications that seem to go against their purported truthfulness: thetales have manifest marks of their fictional nature. As a result, the text can beseen as possessing an auto reflecting or meta-fictional meaning. What at firstsight appears to be an orgy in a tavern is finally recognized as an orgy inpoetry.