Until you know who it is

A compelling narrative that uncovers the rise and fall of a genius tormented by his personal demons. Desperate to escape Curitiba, his hometown and personal prison, young writer Daniel Hauptmann obsessively dedicates himself to the task he believes to be his lifeline: producing a definitive literary work about the Devil, whom he claims has never received adequate representation in Brazilian literature. The result establishes him as an instant phenomenon and elevates him to the elite of national culture. The cost of his endeavor, however, becomes a shadow that intensifies as his prestige and success grow, transforming the brilliant and charismatic young man into a nihilistic, temperamental, and destructive creature. Masterfully interweaving real characters and situations from the history of late 20th-century Brazilian literature with the victims and survivors of Daniel Hauptmann, the author constructs a compelling non-linear narrative that gradually unravels the rise and fall of an author tormented by his personal demons—and, some suspect, by the Devil himself.