Between illustrious and anonymous: the conception of history in Machado de Assis, brings an original issue, by subverting the way Clio has traditionally been studied when it comes to the famous Brazilian writer. After all, to analyze a conception of history is usually a task to which essayists devote themselves when they study the work of historians. However, here it is not Herodotus or Polybius, Ranke, or Varnhagen. In this book, the central figure is Brazil’s greatest writer, and it is a matter of understanding his view of history, understood as knowledge. In this sense, the author leads the reader to the inevitable Machadian essay on the instinct of nationality and the delightful chronicles of the series A Semana [The Week].