Welcome to our Autumn 2011 Portugese Reading Group!
This group includes three very different and unexpected voices from Portugal. Mário-Henrique Leiria’s name kept coming up when the circle of translators behind this group asked around about comic writers from Portugal. The translator Jethro Soutar was told by a bookseller to, ‘Buy this. You’ll like it.’ He was right. Jethro has translated some of Leiria’s Contos do Gin-Tonic (Gin and Tonic Tales) for us.
Rui Zink is another Portuguese writer with a strong satirical bent – and what else would you expect from someone who has translated the work of The Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening? Margaret Jull Costa, who has translated a sample of Rui Zink’s writing, suggested we read his new novel, as well as suggesting our third and very different author, Ana Teresa Pereira.
Ana Teresa Pereira is famous for the Gothic atmosphere of her novels, which have a clear connection to British and Irish literatures. Nowhere is this clearer than in O verão selvagem dos teus olhos (The Wild Summer of Your Gaze).
We hope you’ll join us in reading these books. Add your comments to the author pages and we’d love to see you at our London meet-up.
How it works
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- Extracts in English are being added to this website where possible – see the relevant author’s page. Copies of the books in the original Portuguese may be available to borrow from And Other Stories, who can also point you to other sources. Email info@andotherstories.org saying which book you would like to read.
- Read the excerpts, then comment online via the author pages.
- Come to a meet-up (usually in London) to discuss what has been read. You can be sure of lively and well-informed discussion.
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Reading period:
30 Sept – 9 Nov 2011
Meet-up:
Wednesday 9th November, 6:30 – 8 pm; Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PJ followed by a drink in the Star Tavern nearby.