Abstract
The last two novels by Machado de Assis have the same fictional author, Counselor Aires. The form of these two books is, however, different: in Esau and Jacob, the narration is attributed to an omnipresent narrator, in the third person; Counselor Ayres' Memorial, on its side, takes the form of a diary, a narrative in the author's own name, a book in the process of writing.
Despite the different narrative form of the books, it is possible to identify, in these two books, a common style that characterizes Counselor Aires. In this text, I will discuss how the book form is considered by Machado de Assis, arguing that Counselor Aires has a proper literary project, autonomous from the others Machado fictional authors and from Machado de Assis himself.
Keywords:
Counselor Aires; book; novel; diary; readability