Noite na Taverna

Noite na Taverna (in English: A Night at the Tavern) is a short story book written by Brazilian Ultra-Romantic author Álvares de Azevedo under the pen name Job Stern. It was published posthumously, in 1855.

Although it is a short story book, its chapters are linked to each other like in a novel.

Plot and setting

Chapter 1: "Uma Noite do Século"

The first chapter of the book, "Uma Noite do Século" ("A Night of the Century"), introduces the book's setting — a tavern, populated by prostitutes, drunkards and libertines. At a table, influenced by the alcohol, friends start telling certain happenings of their lives. The five passages have, in common, aspects such as unsuccessful love stories, cannibalism, murders, necrophilia, sexual violence, drinking, among others.

Chapter 2: "Solfieri"

The character Solfieri tells a story of when he was in Rome. On a rainy night, he sees a shadow crying over a window. He realizes it is a beautiful woman. She leaves the house and Solfieri follows her, arriving at a nearby cemetery. There, the woman cries, kneeling before a headstone, as Solfieri falls asleep.

One year has passed since that happening. Solfieri, wandering the streets of Rome after an orgy, gets into a church without knowing how. He sees a coffin and opens it, and sees the cemetery lady inside it. After realizing that she is still alive, he carries her (who is in a catatonic state) through the city. Arriving at home, the woman dies two days later, of a very high fever. Solfieri buries her in his bedroom and orders a statue of the woman.

Chapter 3: "Bertram"

Bertram tells about his love for a Spanish woman from Cadiz, named Angela. They have an affair, when Bertram's sick father, living in Denmark, calls for him. He goes, returning two years later; however, during the time he was away, Angela gets married and has one son. Bertram tries to maintain his affair with her, but Angela's husband finds out everything. Before her husband kills her, she kills him and her child, and flees with Bertram.

One day, without more explanations, she leaves him. His life gets desperate, as he tries to forget her, until he falls in front of a mansion and gets trampled by a chariot. He is helped by the owners of the mansion, an old man and his 18-year-old daughter. Bertram and the lady flee together, but he gets bored with her and sells the lady to a pirate in a card game. The girl poisons the pirate and throws herself in the sea.

In Italy, the narrator decides to kill himself, but when he is about to do it, he is saved by a sailor whom he kills unintentionally. Bertram spends some time in the sailor's ship (a corvette), where he gets in love with the captain's wife, being requited.

In the midst of this affair, the ship is attacked by pirates and sinks, but not without making the other one sink too. The captain, his wife, Bertram and two other sailors are able to save themselves in a raft. Some time later, with no water or food, having the two sailors washed out by the sea, the three lot in order to discover who will be killed and serve as food for the others. The chosen one is the captain, but he does not accept his fate and fights for his life. He loses the fight, and Bertram and the woman eat him because of the lack of food, maintaining themselves for two days.

Arriving at a beach, both already weakened by hunger, the woman asks Bertram for a last moment of love before her death. Afraid of dying, Bertram strangles her and lives at the beach until an English brig rescues him.

Chapter 4: "Gennaro"

The painter Gennaro tells a story of when he was the young apprentice of Godofredo Walsh. Walsh had a young, beautiful wife named Nauza (whom Gennaro loved) and a young, beautiful daughter named Laura (who loved Gennaro). One day, Laura gets pregnant of Gennaro, but when she proposes marriage to him, he declines. Displeased, she dies of depression, taking the baby with her.

The old painter, not knowing anything, visits his daughter's bedroom every night and, because of this, Gennaro starts sleeping with his wife. The painter is able to make Gennaro confess everything in a certain night. Days later, he takes him to a cliff and tries to kill him. However, Gennaro survives the fall and decides to return — initially to apologize, later to revenge. However, when he arrives at the painter's house, he finds Nauza and the painter dead.

Chapter 5: "Claudius Hermann"

Claudius Hermann, a gambler, spots the beautiful duchess Eleonora at a horse race and gets in love with her at first sight. He finds her once more in a theatre, and during an entire week he stalks her.

Certain night, he bribes one of the duchess' lackeys for allowance to enter her house for an hour, and also a copy of her bedroom's keys. He puts sedative in the Duchess' wine and takes advantage of her, returning for many nights.

In one of these nights, her husband, duke Maffio, inadvertently drinks some of the sedative. Claudius, who planned to kill him, changes his mind and kidnaps Eleonora. Arriving in an inn, she wakes up, and Claudius tells her everything, forcing her to stay with him. Optionless, she accepts.

Some days later, when Claudius returns home, he finds the duchess and her husband dead.

Chapter 6: "Johann"

Johann's story is set in a different tavern, situated in Paris, France. He was playing a game of carom billiards with a blonde-haired man named Arthur. Johann was losing the game, while Arthur only needed to score one point to win. When it is Johann's turn to play, Arthur bumps into the table (accidentally or not), detouring Johann's ball, thus making him lose the game. Infuriated, he defies Arthur to a duel, which he accepts. They stop at a hotel to get the weapons, and the blonde man writes two notes. They head to a desert and dark street. In there, they choose their weapons — but only one is loaded.

They shoot. It is revealed that Johann's weapon was the loaded one, and Arthur, before dying, hands Johann the notes he wrote. The first note is addressed to Arthur's mother, and the another one is addressed to his girlfriend, accompanied with an address, a marked time and an engagement ring. Pretending to be Arthur, Johann decides to steal his girlfriend.

In the morning after they sleep together, Johann is attacked by a mysterious man. After a short struggle, he kills the man. However, after a close inspection, he discovers that the man he killed was his brother, and Arthur's girlfriend was his sister.

Chapter 7: "Último Beijo de Amor"

In the last chapter, "Último Beijo de Amor" ("Last Love Kiss"), the orgy ends; everyone is sleeping. A mysterious hooded figure walks into the tavern and kills Johann, and then heads toward a man named Arnold.

The figure is revealed to be Giorgia, Johann's sister, and Arnold is actually Arthur (that somehow survived the duel) under a false name. Giorgia reveals to Arthur that she wanted to get her revenge on Johann, and having done so, the honor Johann stole from her when they slept together is finally restored.

After trading some love words with Arthur, both decide to suicide.

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