Book Club
"The Mandarin", by Eça de Queiroz

European Book Club, presented by Camoes Institute

Thu, 03/30/2017
7:00 PM Full of Beans Coffee

The Toronto European Book Club is back in 2017 to put the spotlight on Europe’s literary legacy and its influence on contemporary publishing. To celebrate Canada's 150th Anniversary of Confederation, the members of the European Union of National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Toronto will look at the connection between books written in Europe and current European literature, which echo their 19th  century ancestors. By bridging together different authors, cultures and eras, EUNIC partners in Toronto aim to revisit European classics along with today’s new voices, focussing on  former and emerging concerns.
 
From Germany to Portugal, Italy and France, we want to highlight what was written in Europe 150 years ago and what is being written now.
 
The European Book Club aims to introduce Canadians to European books and authors by crossing over cultures and allowing readers to discover modern European authors and their works. For 2017, the Book Club will be moving its meeting location to Full of Beans on Dundas Street West, a friendly coffee shop dedicated to being a cozy, neighbourhood gathering place for those interested in culture and literature. We welcome you and your friends and family to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee,  herbal tea or one (or two) of the home-made pastries prepared by Full of Beans’ owner Lori, and participate in our European Book Club. The event is free for all to attend but donations are welcome.
 
All the books for the Book Club will be available at La Mosaïque Bookstore. http://mosaiquetoronto.ca/en/
 
Each Book Club will be in English.

In the Mandarin, a novel written in 1880, Teodoro, an ageing and impoverished civil servant, fantasizes about becoming rich. The devil appears before him and offers to grant his wish if Teodoro will pray for the death of a Mandarin in distant China. Teodoro duly inherits a Mandarin’s fortune and enters into a life of luxury, but remorse drives him to China in a futile search for the dead man’s family. He returns to Lisbon haunted by the crime.

For more information see: https://camoestoronto.com/