Borges and the Eternal Orang-Utans

A hilarious spoof on literary/academic conferences, and a brilliant 'Borgesian' mystery.

Verrisimo's pleasure in his own absurd intertextual universe is infectious

A true literary mystery in its own right, as well as a homage to Borges

Luis Fernando Verissimo is one of Brazil's most popular writers thanks to his satirical columns in the national weekly Veja. He is also a celebrated novelist and cartoonist, and he plays the saxophone in a jazz band. His novel The Club of Angels was published by Harvill.

Vogelstein is a loner who has always lived among books. Suddenly, fate grabs hold of his insignificant life and carries him off to Buenos Aires, to a conference on Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the modern detective story. There Vogelstein meets his idol, Jorge Luis Borges, and for reasons that a mere passion for literature cannot explain, he finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation that involves arcane demons, the mysteries of the Kabbala, the possible destruction of the world, and the Elizabethan magus John Dee's 'Eternal Orang-utan', which would end up by writing all the known books in the cosmos.

Luis Fernando Verissimo

Brazil's blackest satirist's return to novel form from a ten-year sabbatical sold out back home inseconds.  A quick flick through the opening tells you why; by then, you're hooked, played by the author's artful angling, gaffed and landed to gasp for more.

With the knowledge that every mouthful may be your last comes a special flavor, an added piquancy, that is hard to resist. Not for nothing is gluttony a deadly sin. 
 
At first there were ten of them. Once the gilded youth of their city, they would meet each month to dine fabulously and celebrate their friendship and singularity. But 20 years on, the world is not as impressed with them as they anticipated. Indignant girlfriends, distrustful wives, bankruptcy, divorce and death have weakened their bond - until Daniel meets Lucidio. In his new friend Daniel thinks he has found the recipe to reinvigorate their meetings. Lucidio is mysteriously taciturn but in the privacy of Daniel's kitchen, his genius recreates their favourite dishes as a gastronomic experience like no other. One helping is never enough. Particularly for a group that have always wanted more ...

Luis Fernando Verissimo

Praise for Club Of Angels

Brazil's blackest satirist's return to novel form from a ten-year sabbatical sold out back home inseconds. A quick flick through the opening tells you why; by then, you're hooked, played by the author's artful angl ...

Books by Luis Fernando Verissimo

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