Blood-drenched Beard Paperback by Daniel Galera

Product Details

• Publisher: Penguin Canada (2016-01-26)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 384 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780143192213
• Item Weight: 294.84 grams
• Dimensions: 21.08 x 13.97 x 2.03 cm

From Brazil's most acclaimed young novelist, the mesmerizing story of how a troubled young man's restorative journey to the seaside becomes a violent struggle with his family's dark past.
     The young man's father, dying, at last tells him the truth about his grandfather--or at least the truth as he knows it. The mean old gaucho was murdered by some fellow villagers in Garopaba, a town on the Atlantic now famous for its surfing and fishing. It was during a Sunday dance at a community hall. The lights went out suddenly and when they came up, his grandfather was lying in a pool of blood ... or so the story goes. It is as if his father has given him a deathbed challenge. So with no strong ties to his current life, the young man travels up the coast, finds an apartment by the water, and begins to make enquiries. But information doesn't come easily. A rare neurological condition means that the young man doesn't recognize the faces of people he's met. And the people who do know about his grandfather are fearful to give anything away.
     Steeped in tension, atmosphere, and the sultry allure of south Brazil, Daniel Galera's masterfully spare and powerful prose unfolds a story of discovery that feels mythic, elemental, and archetypal.

About the Author

DANIEL GALERA is a Brazilian writer, translator, and editor. He was born in Sao Paulo but spent most of his life in Porto Alegre, only returning to Sao Paulo in 2005. He has published four novels in Brazil to great acclaim, the latest of which, Blood-Drenched Beard, was awarded the 2013 Sao Paulo Literature Prize. In addition to writing, he has also translated the work of Zadie Smith and Jonathan Safran Foer into Portuguese. Online: http://ranchocarne.org/