First published in 1890, and undoubtedly Azevedo's masterpiece, emThe Slumem is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed novels ever written about Brazil. Indeed, its great popularity, realistic descriptions, archetypal situations, detailed local coloring, and overall race-consciousness may well evoke emHuckleberry Finnem as the novel's North American equivalent. Yet Azevedo also exhibits the naturalism of Zola and the ironic distance of Balzac while tragic, beautiful, and imaginative as a work of fiction, emThe Slumem is universally regarded as one of the best, or truest, portraits of Brazilian society ever rendered. pThis is a vivid and complex tale of passion and greed, a story with many different strands touching on the different economic tiers of society. Mainly, however, emThe Slumem thrives on two intersecting story lines. In one narrative, a penny-pinching immigrant landlord strives to become a rich investor and then discards his black lover for a wealthy white woma