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One of the greatest works by one of the most important Brazilian writers.
The Enigma of Qaf is an adventure novel, a saga about a poet-hero in search of a poem, "Qafiya al-Qaf," the eighth suspended poem. Constructed from three narrative strands—the protagonist's story, secondary narratives, almost a duplicate of the primary, and legends of Arab heroes—the plot reconstructs (or invents) the magical universe of all pre-Islamic mythology, while simultaneously rediscovering the poetic vocation of the Arabic language in Portuguese.
Elected in 2004 by the newspaper O Globo as the best novel of the year and winner of the APCA (São Paulo Association of Art Critics Award) and the Casa de Las Americas 2005 awards in the Brazilian Literature category by unanimous decision of the jury, Alberto Mussa's work achieved international recognition and was quickly translated into several languages.
This edition features a foreword by USP professor emeritus Walnice Nogueira Galvão, an academic read that offers valuable information for the curious reader. Alberto Mussa's text, always interspersed with nonfiction elements, piques this interest. A postscript by the author, almost a coming-of-age novel, tells how he wrote this book and, most importantly, how he began using methods developed from the difficulties the stories presented him, constructing Qaf as a moving and intriguing mosaic. These are necessary additions for those already familiar with the work and should be enjoyed by all who have the pleasure of holding a copy of this book in their hands.
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