Three stories which, on balance, I thought enjoyable but not much more. The title piece, which is really a novella, has a simple premise: would you (should you) wish for someone else’s death in order to inherit his wealth? The story plays out more or less as one might expect: there are high points, low points, and Eca’s travelogue of China. Our hero tries to right his wrong and much of the story is spent in his efforts to do so. I thought it well-written but a bit light, notwithstanding some good moments and occasional thoughtful writing. All in all, a disappointment. The next story, “Jose Matias,” is about a man who fell in love with a married woman and spent the rest of his life obsessed with her. It is one thing to regret a missed opportunity; it is something else to be as ridiculously obsessed as here, spying on her over the course of decades. She loved him all along but—given a new opportunity—he actually turns her down. I found it very difficult to like anyone in this story and didn’t much care for it. Story number three was apparently a section of his novel The Relic, although whether it was published before the novel was completed or merely excerpted, I don’t know. In any event, the section presented is confusing and involves contemporary people (contemporary to Eca, anyway) being inexplicably back in the Roman-ruled Middle East. Wikipedia’s explanation helps: “A long, sudden and unexplained section in the middle of the novel is in the form of an apparent dream in which Teodorico is transported back to the time of Jesus’s arrest, trial and execution, where he and Topsius become witnesses to history. This section has been criticised by some reviewers as fantastic rather than realistic, as very flat with a different tone from the rest of the book, as not really fitting in with or contributing to the rest of the story and as being written in the language of the author rather than that displayed by Teodorico in the rest of the novel.” Amen to all that. Maybe the novel is good but this excerpt had so little context that I found it a waste of time. All in all, I’m glad this wasn’t my introduction to Eca; I will certainly continue to read his novels but this was pretty much lost time. ( )

The Mandarin is a masterpiece in short fiction, it looks at what is called MetaEthics, the what "if" and it does so brilliantly - the lush descriptive passages really immerse one's attention, the detail and wit is exceptional though subtle enough to be enjoyed sparingly without expectation. Eca fabricates this story as if writing with embroidery, I read each line like listening to a well devised tune.

The other stories didn't enfold my attention so much, José Matias was pretty powerful however The Relic sort of lost me a bit, but as an extract perhaps that is why. That is, I wasn't as engaged, the perceptions lacked idiosyncrasy, and crafted as it is, I only went along on the journey to accompany the narrative in its completion. José Matias had some extremely poignant moments, the lure of self-serving sacrifice to idealistic morals and spiritual integrity.

previously I had only read The illustrious House of Ramires, I found that novel typically Portuguese in its dense willowing storytelling, however, I should go back and read it again. Eca with The Mandarin has sealed a certain positive strength in unpacking the human soul. ( )

A collection of four stories from the Portuguese master, each of which is a gem in itself. The title story, "The Mandarin," poses a moral quandary and explores its repercussions, "The Idiosyncrasies of a Young Blonde Woman" makes short work of romantic love, "The Hanged Man" is a fantastic tale of what-goes-around-comes-around, and the final story, "Jose Matias," is a love story told at a funeral by a Hegelian philosopher. Eça de Queirós is one of my favorite writers and this collection of shorter works are almost on par with his longer novels - I am not normally a huge fan of short stories, but this is as enjoyable as they could be for me. The author has a beautiful style (conveyed masterfully by translator Margaret Jull Costa) that feels very contemporary (especially “Jose Matias” where the narrator's view of reality puts a particular spin on the tale) and even though the style of short story is old (they are the ones that have a “twist”) they stand the test of time really well. ( )