In the name of desire

João Silvério Trevisan's queer classic, in a new edition, with illustrations by Francisco Hurtz and a foreword by Alexandre Rabello.

Intense and impactful, yet still sensitive and delicate, João Silvério Trevisan's *In the Name of Desire * is already a classic. Originally published in 1983 and out of print for decades, the novel returns in a new edition, designed by award-winning graphic artist Gustavo Piqueira.

To tell the story of love and hate between seminarians Abel and Tiquinho—young men torn between the mortification of the flesh and the exaltation of the soul, trapped between the glories of the divine and the turmoil of adolescence—Trevisan contrasts sensual beauty with Catholic rigidity. With a captivating plot, the author guides the reader through labyrinths of forbidden desire and mortification.

As Italo Moriconi notes on the book's blurb: "João Silvério Trevisan shows that prohibitions feed what they prohibit; they are, in fact, productive [...]. Besides being good fiction, In the Name of Desire offers us a profound reflection on the purposes (mysteries) of the body."

Francisco Hurtz's works, which articulate masculinity and homoeroticism, illustrate this beautiful edition. The foreword by writer and curator Alexandre Rabello reinforces the work's timeliness.

“Dense, courageous, emotional, but with emotion surely measured by a severe form, In the Name of Desire should be a pleasant (or at least disturbing) surprise for readers.” — Caio Fernando Abreu

“[...] it is about giving voice to a subjectivity threatened by the various forms of castrating authoritarianism.” — Silviano Santiago

“[...] what makes In the Name of Desire a vibrant and luminous text is the way in which the author addresses the theme of passion.” — Folha de S.Paulo