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A Nobel Prize in Literature is the crowning achievement of a life’s work, but life continues after the prize is awarded. Knowing this, after receiving the medal in 2023, Norwegian Jon Fosse was not only overcome with joy and accomplishment, but also with relief, because his most difficult work had already been written.
“Heptalogia,” a book now coming to Brazil, is his longest and most ambitious work – and one that could only have been written before the thunderous fame resulting from the Swedish prize. As Fosse told journalist Guilherme Magalhães: “What I experienced after the Nobel was constant interruptions.”
Accustomed to making listening a primordial element of his writing process, the author now receives invitations to give interviews, conferences and symposia. “Of course, I refuse almost everything. However, just to respond to requests, I spend a lot of time,” he said in a rare interview with Leaf.
If there is any achievement with the Nobel, it is overshadowed by Fosse’s dissatisfaction with the B side of recognition. Between expectations, demands and constant interruptions, the Norwegian says he sees himself moving “from subject to object”.
Despite the distractions, since winning the prize the author has written plays, a novel and is working on the first novel in a new trilogy.
I just arrived
“The Pole” (trans. José Rubens Siqueira, Companhia das Letras, R$79.90, 144 pages) is the most recent novel by JM Coetzee, an 85-year-old South African author. The work, according to critic Ligia Gonçalvez Diniz, is a delicate portrait of old age and death. The protagonist is an elderly pianist who falls in love with a young Spanish woman. The relationship between the two, mediated by foreign languages, leads to a reflection on what is lost and what is gained with translation.
“Central Europe” (trans. Daniel Pellizzari, Companhia das Letras, R$149.90, 768 pages) is the first fiction by the American William T. Vollmann published in Brazil. It is considered the most accessible work by an author with an acidic style and complex themes, dealing with the impacts of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. “It is a magnificent tour de force in which historical figures have their lives told either with realism based on careful research or in open fiction,” writes critic Igor Gielow.
“Suttree” (trans. Daniel Galera, Alfaguara, R$119.90, 560 pages) arrives in Brazil more than 40 years after its publication and follows Cornelius Suttree, a man who leaves his rich family to live as a fisherman among unhappy people. The novel by the American Cormac McCarthy transforms the mundane into an epic, in the manner of James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. But, as Gabriel Trigueiro’s review points out, this grandeur sometimes slides towards excess and nonsense.
And more
At 83 years old and after 42 years of career as a children’s writer, Pedro Bandeira is preparing the launch of his first book for adults next year. What places the new book in this category is its inspiration from the classic “Dom Casmurro” by Machado de Assis. In Bandeira’s work, the famous detective Sherlock Holmes devotes himself to investigating whether Capitu betrayed Bentinho. The author’s language, as Panel das Letras points out, remains simple as in his other books.
In December 1985, Níquel Náusea made her first appearances in Leafwhere he will still remain a recurring character today. Over the course of four decades, as Henrique Artuni’s report explains, the character of cartoonist Fernando Gonsales satirizes the habits of the animal and human world in a tone ranging from rebellious to childish. The book “Nickel nausea: the origin of the specimen” (Z Edições, R$ 70, 102 pages) recalls the trajectory of the mouse which parodies the American Mickey Mouse.
Libero Malavoglia, seasoned designer and illustrator, launches the comic strip “Aislam: the prince and the seed” (Z Edições, R$80, R$270), the first volume of a trilogy that mixes fantasy and philosophy. The author combines cinematic language with comic book references from the likes of Moebius, Jack Kirby and Hugo Pratt to tell the story of a young man found by a circus troupe and who remembers myths from around the world.
Beyond the books
Two armed men invaded the Mário de Andrade library this Sunday (7) and stole eight engravings by Matisse and five by Portinari on display. The thieves captured a security guard and some visitors, removed the works and fled to the Anhangabaú metro. The pieces, believed to be extremely rare, were insured and the security footage was handed over to police. One of the suspects was arrested.
A study by the Brazilian Book Chamber found that the publishing market has around 54,000 companies, which employ 70,000 people. From 2024 to 2025, 3,000 new businesses were created, while the number of jobs remained stable. According to the survey, the book sector is concentrated in the South-East with a strong presence of small businesses.
Flip 2026 will take place from July 22 to 26. The dates were announced last week more than six months in advance, which is happening for the first time since the pandemic and should make planning easier for publishers and visitors. The edition will be organized by the literary critic Rita Palmeira.
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