Adultery
2016 Nominated

Adultery

Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa and Zoë Perry
artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

“I want to change. I need to change. I’m gradually losing touch with myself.”

Adultery, the provocative new novel by Paulo Coelho, explores the question of what it means to live life fully and happily, finding the balance between life’s routine and the desire for something new.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Paulo
Coelho

One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of many international best sellers, including The Alchemist, Aleph, Eleven Minutes, and Manuscript Found in Accra. Translated into 80 languages, his books have sold more than 165 million copies in more than 170 countries. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and has received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. In 2007, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of many international best sellers, including The Alchemist, Aleph, Eleven Minutes, and Manuscript Found in Accra. Translated into 80 languages, his books have sold more than 165 million copies in more than 170 countries. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and has received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. In 2007, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Margaret
Jull Costa

Margaret Elisabeth Jull Costa (born 2 May 1949) is a British translator of Portuguese- and Spanish-language fiction and poetry, including the works of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Paulo Coelho, Bernardo Atxaga, Carmen Martín Gaite, Javier Marías, and José Régio. She has won the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize more times than any other translator.

Margaret Elisabeth Jull Costa (born 2 May 1949) is a British translator of Portuguese- and Spanish-language fiction and poetry, including the works of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Paulo Coelho, Bernardo Atxaga, Carmen Martín Gaite, Javier Marías, and José Régio. She has won the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize more times than any other translator.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Zoë
Perry

Zoë Perry works primarily with the translation, scouting and promotion of contemporary Brazilian literary fiction and creative non-fiction. She has translated works by several award-winning Portuguese-language authors including Veronica Stigger, Emilio Fraia, Ana Paula Maia, Clara Drummond, Juliana Leite, Vanessa Barbara, Rodrigo de Souza Leão, Carol Bensimon, and Lourenço Mutarelli. Her translations have appeared in The New Yorker, Astra, n+1, The Paris Review, Granta, Words Without Borders and the White Review, among others. Zoë was selected for a residency at the Banff International Translation Centre for her translation of Emilio Fraia’s Sevastopol, published by New Directions (US) and Lolli Editions (UK). In 2015 she was the first translator-in-residence at the FLIP international literary festival in Paraty, Brazil, and was awarded a PEN/Heim grant for her translation of Opisanie świata by Veronica Stigger, whose work she has been translating for over ten years.

Zoë Perry works primarily with the translation, scouting and promotion of contemporary Brazilian literary fiction and creative non-fiction. She has translated works by several award-winning Portuguese-language authors including Veronica Stigger, Emilio Fraia, Ana Paula Maia, Clara Drummond, Juliana Leite, Vanessa Barbara, Rodrigo de Souza Leão, Carol Bensimon, and Lourenço Mutarelli. Her translations have appeared in The New Yorker, Astra, n+1, The Paris Review, Granta, Words Without Borders and the White Review, among others. Zoë was selected for a residency at the Banff International Translation Centre for her translation of Emilio Fraia’s Sevastopol, published by New Directions (US) and Lolli Editions (UK). In 2015 she was the first translator-in-residence at the FLIP international literary festival in Paraty, Brazil, and was awarded a PEN/Heim grant for her translation of Opisanie świata by Veronica Stigger, whose work she has been translating for over ten years.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

To the outside world, Linda seems to have it all: a perfect marriage; beautiful children; and a great job. Inside, though, she keeps a secret. Linda is intensely unhappy. A chance encounter with an ex-boyfriend makes her realize what she is missing, is passion. In Adultery, Coelho uses Linda’s journey to explore the age old question, what is true happiness?

An interesting take, and self examination, on a common subject.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date published
25/03/2015
Country
Brazil
Original Language
Spanish
Author
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf
Translator
Zoë Perry, Margaret Jull Costa
Translation
Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa and Zoë Perry

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