The Alienist story revolves around Dr. Simon Bacamarte, a psychiatrist who comes to the small town of Itaguaí and establishes a mental institution called Green House, where he conducts various experiments on the townspeople to determine who is sane and who is insane. This work explores themes of madness, power, and the ambiguity of truth, offering a satirical commentary on human nature and society. The Alienist, originally published in 1882, is considered one of Machado de Assis' masterpieces. Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, a black writer and grandson of freed slaves, was born in 1839, at a time when slavery was still legal in Brazil (it was fully abolished only in 1888). Machado de Assis, as he is better known, became a prominent author and turned into one of the greatest Brazilian writers of history, if not the greatest one, having also the honor of being the first president of the influential Brazilian Academy of Letters. This edition brings the 2024 English translation by Rodolfo Medeiros and new illustrations made by Sofia Publisher.
