I might no longer exist here at this moment
this moment might no longer exist for me
Violeta is driving along a lonely stretch of late-night motorway, caught in a tumultuous storm. When her tired eyes close for just a second, her car veers off the road, overturns, and comes to rest on an empty stretch of sodden ground.
And as she lies amid the wreckage, suspended between this world and the next, Violeta’s troubled life will quite literally flash before her eyes . . .
Violeta Among the Stars weaves memories and feelings as Violeta reflects on her death and her life, the piercing highs and the seedy lows. An astonishing portrait of a seemingly insignificant life from one of Portugal’s greatest living writers.
“An extraordinary piece of writing on the life of an ordinary woman” Litro
“Absolutely compelling . . . this novel is truly unforgettable” Irish Independent
Translated from the Portuguese by Ángel Gurría-Quintana
Ángel Gurría-Quintana is a historian, journalist and literary translator from Spanish and Portuguese. He writes regularly for the books pages of the Financial Times, and his translations include the anthology Other Carnivals: Short Stories from Brazil and The Return, by Dulce Maria Cardoso.
With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
this moment might no longer exist for me
Violeta is driving along a lonely stretch of late-night motorway, caught in a tumultuous storm. When her tired eyes close for just a second, her car veers off the road, overturns, and comes to rest on an empty stretch of sodden ground.
And as she lies amid the wreckage, suspended between this world and the next, Violeta’s troubled life will quite literally flash before her eyes . . .
Violeta Among the Stars weaves memories and feelings as Violeta reflects on her death and her life, the piercing highs and the seedy lows. An astonishing portrait of a seemingly insignificant life from one of Portugal’s greatest living writers.
“An extraordinary piece of writing on the life of an ordinary woman” Litro
“Absolutely compelling . . . this novel is truly unforgettable” Irish Independent
Translated from the Portuguese by Ángel Gurría-Quintana
Ángel Gurría-Quintana is a historian, journalist and literary translator from Spanish and Portuguese. He writes regularly for the books pages of the Financial Times, and his translations include the anthology Other Carnivals: Short Stories from Brazil and The Return, by Dulce Maria Cardoso.
With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
Reviews
A vibrant style, a brilliant novel
Every word is in the right place and the result is pure music
A devastating novel
A powerful, moving monologue that weaves intimate voices with the history of contemporary Portugal
Exceptional ... absolutely compelling ... this novel is truly unforgettable
Quite extraordinary and a privilege to read . . . Devastating but immensely moving . . . Violeta among the Stars is related with rare eloquence
Both the translator Ángel Gurría-Quintana and Cardoso herself are true masters of their craft . . . an artistic achievement in style and form that will move you, even if you don't want it to. It is an extraordinary piece of writing on the life of an ordinary woman.
