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Nothing is as it seems in the sinuous tales of Brazilian master Edgard Telles Ribeiro
A son embarks on a journey involving a disappearing suitcase, secret police, and a strange letter, while pursuing a father who appears to have fallen victim to Alzheimer’s disease. A man inherits a deserted island and is drawn into the mysterious, possibly deadly affairs of a strange couple on a sailboat. A gold miner in a remote Amazon outpost escapes from a murderous foreman by building an improbable machine. A writer chases the evasive opening sentence of his novel while locked down in his Rio de Janeiro apartment with his wife, until she usurps the narrative.
In the four tales that comprise As If by Magic, Edgard Telles Ribeiro invites us into labyrinthine worlds where what we perceive is only the beginning of the story.
Praise for As If by Magic
Southern California News Group “Books to Add to Your TBR List” selection
“[Telles Ribeiro’s] writing is tight and clear, like Hemingway’s. . . . This collection will be paradise for short story fans.” —Library Journal
“Delivers surprises and pathos in equal measure. . . . Ribeiro’s mysterious narratives sneak up on the reader with profound revelations.” —Publishers Weekly
“A love of wordplay and the process of storytelling illuminate these pieces. . . . Written with care and clarity, each story is something of a puzzle that becomes more puzzling as it proceeds.” —Kirkus Reviews
Select Praise for Edgard Telles Ribeiro
“Elegant, absorbingly knowing, chilling, dryly humorous and often moving.” —Francisco Goldman
“Comical and brooding, enchanting and disturbing.” —Laura Restrepo
“Atmospheric and engrossing. . . . A master of the subtleties of subjectivity.” —Wall Street Journal
“Cunning” —Washington Post
“Sumptuous.” —Tulsa World
“Unveils details with a poetic lushness, unhurried, dreamy, as if lingering on their weight, their significance.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
“Telles Ribeiro’s [work] is of global import, a caution against too readily forgetting and too quickly adapting.” —Words Without Borders
Edgard Telles Ribeiro, recipient of Brazil’s most prestigious literary prizes, including the Jabuti Prize, Brazilian Academy of Letters Prize, and Brazilian PEN Club Prize, is the author of fourteen works of fiction including The Impostor and As If by Magic. He studied cinema at University of California, Los Angeles, worked as a film critic for several newspapers before becoming a career diplomat, and is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He lives in New York and Rio de Janeiro.