Too Much of Life

The Complete Crônicas

In the rich banquet of Clarice Lispector’s work, her crônicas—short, intensely vivid newspaper pieces—are the delectable canapés.

“I’ve learned enough from taxi drivers to fill a book. They really get around. Maybe I know more about Antonioni, or maybe they know more than they realize. There are ways of knowing by not-knowing. I know: it happens to me too.”

The crônica, a uniquely Brazilian newspaper form, lets writers—sometimes even soccer stars—speak directly to readers about anything that strikes their fancy. Chatty, intimate, mystical, playful, and incisive, Lispector’s pieces for the Saturday edition of Jornal do Brasil (1967–1973) take the shape of memories, essays, aphorisms, and serialized stories.

Endlessly inventive and revealing, her reflections make us pause and think—about children, social issues, pets, society women, the art of writing, or love itself. This beautifully translated volume, Too Much of Life: The Complete Crônicas, offers a fresh perspective on Lispector: spontaneous, piercing, and utterly captivating.