Late Summer (Paperback)

Luiz Ruffato

ISBN 10: 1635420202 / ISBN 13: 9781635420203

Published by Other Press LLC, New York, 2021

About this Item

Paperback. Sick and abandoned by his wife and son, Oseias decides to go back to his hometown after twenty years away. During this time apart, he has heard about his family only through sporadic phone calls from his younger sister, Isabela. The shadow of the suicide of their sister Ligia, when she was fifteen, lingers over Oseias as he tries to reestablish contact with his siblings. Each of them is centered in their own world- Rosana and her obsession with fitness; Isabela and her struggle to survive; Jo o Locio and his isolation. All of them are branded by loneliness, but most of all Oseias, who, misunderstood by his family members and old acquaintances, decides to put an end to his journey.The Late Summer can be read from two different perspectives- as the realistic story of a displaced character tortured by an unsuccessful attempt to redeem his past, and as a description of contemporary society, in which social classes have ruptured any form of dialogue between them and, as one character observes, have become "wandering planets" whose paths cross occasionally, risking mutual destruction.Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and named aBest Summer Beach Read by BuzzFeedFrom one of Brazil's most important living writers, a powerful reflection on the effects of isolation and feelings of inadequacy in our time.Sick and abandoned by his wife and son, Oseias decides to go back to his hometown after twenty years away. During this time apart, he has heard about his family only through sporadic phone calls from his younger sister, Isabela. The shadow of the suicide of their sister Ligia, when she was fifteen, lingers over Oseias as he tries to reestablish contact with his siblings. Each of them is absorbed in their own world- Rosana and her obsession with fitness; Isabela and her struggle to survive; Jo o Locio and his isolation. All of them are branded by loneliness, but most of all Oseias, who, misunderstood by his family members and old acquaintances, decides to put an end to his journey.Late Summer can be read as both the realistic story of a displaced man tortured by his unsuccessful attempt to redeem his past, and as a portrait of contemporary society, in which social classes have ruptured any form of dialogue between them, and people have become rogue planets whose paths cross occasionally, risking mutual destruction. Originally published in Portuguese as O veraeao tardio in 2019 by Companhia das Letras, Saeao Paulo, Brazil. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781635420203

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Late Summer (Paperback)
• Publisher: Other Press LLC, New York
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1635420202
• ISBN 13: 9781635420203
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and named a Best Summer Beach Read by BuzzFeed

From one of Brazil’s most important living writers, a powerful reflection on the effects of isolation and feelings of inadequacy in our time.
 
Sick and abandoned by his wife and son, Oséias decides to go back to his hometown after twenty years away. During this time apart, he has heard about his family only through sporadic phone calls from his younger sister, Isabela. The shadow of the suicide of their sister Lígia, when she was fifteen, lingers over Oséias as he tries to reestablish contact with his siblings. Each of them is absorbed in their own world: Rosana and her obsession with fitness; Isabela and her struggle to survive; João Lúcio and his isolation. All of them are branded by loneliness, but most of all Oséias, who, misunderstood by his family members and old acquaintances, decides to put an end to his journey.
 
Late Summer can be read as both the realistic story of a displaced man tortured by his unsuccessful attempt to redeem his past, and as a portrait of contemporary society, in which social classes have ruptured any form of dialogue between them, and people have become rogue planets whose paths cross occasionally, risking mutual destruction.

About the Author

Luiz Ruffato was born in Cataguases, a small industrial city in southeastern Brazil. The grandson of immigrants who fled northern Italy, Ruffato worked throughout his youth as a bar clerk, textile worker, street book vendor, and turner to supplement the income of his parents, a popcorn vendor and a laundress. He earned a journalism degree from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, and later settled in São Paulo. He is the author of eight novels as well as short-story collections, poetry, and essays. In addition to numerous Brazilian literary prizes, his works have received the Premio Casa de las Américas (Cuba) and the Hermann Hesse Literaturpreis (Germany), and have been published in thirteen countries. Since 2003 Ruffato has worked exclusively as a writer.

Julia Sanches translates from Portuguese, Spanish, and Catalan. She has translated works by Susana Moreira Marques, Daniel Galera, Claudia Hernández, and Geovani Martins, among others, and is a founding member of Cedilla & Co.