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Cíntia Moscovich Brazil
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Born in Porto Alegre in 1958, Cíntia Moscovich reviews
books for a daily newspaper and has worked as translator, copy-editor, press
assistant, literary consultant and teacher, as well as having directed Rio
Grande do Sul's state Book Institute. Her first solo work, the short story
collection O Reino das Cebolas, was
shortlisted for the Jabuti Award.
A writer
puts on forty-eight and a half pounds in only four years. How could this have
happened? How could she have completely lost control of her own body and never
even realize it? Could the roots of the problem lie in her past, in the family
history, in all the love -and hate -shared by children and their parents? These
are the questions that guide Por que sou gorda, mamãe? (“Why Am I Fat,
Mum?”), journalist Cíntia Moscovich's highly praised new novel. As the narrator
searches for the reasons why she put on so much weight so quickly, she embarks
on a journey through memory focused on her Jewish family of European
immigrants, and especially on her strained relationship with her mother. At the
end of this very personal and often painful journey, not only does she find her
own lost body, but also the strength to become a full-fledged writer. The narrator's
quest is also a universal search for ways to be happy inside one's own skin,
carried out sensibly and often hilariously by one of the most original voices
in new Brazilian literature.
With great empathy, Duas Iguais ("Two Of A Kind") tells the story of
two young women's love in Brazil. Teenage Clara feels strongly attracted to her
best school friend Ana, who returns her feelings. Their passion starts out in
secret and is wrought with confusion, fear and doubts, but also ripe with the
discovery of new sensations and longings. At the same time they have to deal
with a difficult social situation, as Clara is a member of Porto Alegre's Jewish community. When the pressure of hostility
grows so strong that Ana eventually decides to run away to Paris, Clara stays behind
in Porto Alegre. Although she marries in the end, she
can never forget Ana. Under tragic circumstances, fate brings the two of them together
again.
Represented for
Riff Agency, exc. French, Portuguese & Spanish
Original
editions and rights sold:
Novels:
Duas iguais, Rio de Janeiro: Record 2004, 253 p.
Italy: Cavallo di Ferro ● Portugal: Pergaminho 2006 ● Spain: Tusquets 2008; Círculo de Lectores
Por que sou gorda, mamãe?, Rio de Janeiro: Record 2006, 251 p.
Italy: Cavallo
di Ferro 2009
Stories:
O reino das cebolas, Rio de Janeiro: L&PM 1996; Rio de Janeiro: Record
Arquitetura do arco-íris, Rio de Janeiro: Record 2004, 171 p.
Portugal:
Pergaminho
Anotações durante o incêndio, Rio de Janeiro: Record 2000, 2006, 144 p.
Mais ou menos normal
São Paulo: Publifolha 2007, 112 p.
Essa Coisa brilhante que é a chuva
Rio de Janeiro: Record, forthcoming
Participation
in anthologies:
Brasilien berättar: Ljud av steg, Stockholm: Tranan 2011