Translations of 21 short stories by Machado de Assis, with Portuguese and English on facing pages. Most have never before appeared in English. Translators include Laura Cade Brown, Krista Brune, David George, Linda Ledford-Miller, Ana Lessa-Schmidt, Nelson LOpez Rojas, John Maddox, Adam Morris, Rex P. Nielson, Leila Osman, Marissel HernAndez Romero, Steven K. Smith, Lisandra Sousa, Luciana Tanure, and Nelson Vieira. Stories include Nuptial Song, Among Saints, Xerxes' Tears, Cabriolet Anecdote, Fulano, Ex Cathedra, Live , Maria Cora, The Second Life, Pecuniary Anecdote, Manuscript of a...

Portraits of missionary sisters as they work in some of the most difficulty, dangerous, and turbulent parts of the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. Central America during the revolutionary period. Northern Mexico during the migration to the United States. Swaziland during the AIDS epidemic. Italy during the aftermath of World War II. Argentina during the military regime. Brazil during the rise in crime and fall of the environment. These stories are fascinating and inspiring--and not at all what you'd expect in a book about nuns. Introduction by Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC.