His Own Man

Edgard Telles Ribeiro (trans. Kim M. Hastings)

'A rare and remarkable find ... not just a taut, sharp political novel, but one that is thoroughly informed by insights ... The command of detail, which means soaking each scene for every ounce of texture and meaning, is striking.'

Canberra Times

'[A] sparkling work of fiction ... just crackles with wit, well-tooled phrases and astute observations about power and those who wield it.'

Troy Lennon, Daily Telegraph

View all reviews

'This tale of international intrigue shows how malleable concepts of left and right, and right and wrong, can be during extended periods of political unrest and military repression . . . Nuanced and psychologically incisive.'

Kirkus

'This novel … confirms the author's definitive place among the major novelists of the Portuguese language.'

O Estado de São Paulo

‘A penetrating exploration of the [political] stage’s wings, where government, the military, and business leaders played their hands — with the press and the opposition silenced — and not merely in Brazil.’

O Globo

'Central [to the novel] is the figure of Marcílio Andrade Xavier, perhaps the most masterfully conceived portrait of a diplomat in our literature since Counselor Aires, from [the eponymous novel by] Machado de Assis.’

O Valor Economico

Praise for I Would Have Loved Him if I Had Not Killed Him: '[Ribeiro's] language is impeccable and imbued with a grace that's impossible to resist.'

Publishers Weekly

'Offers a fascinating look at South American politics and revolution while simultaneously anatomizing a man without a soul.'

Publishers Weekly

'[A] page-turning pleasure that scrutinises Latin American history and politics ... those seeking to understand Brazil's past and present should look to Telles Ribiero.'

Kevin Rabalais, The Monthly

'[A] complex tale of espionage and betrayal [and] a quality offering from a master storyteller'

Maureen Eppen, West Australian

'Telles Ribeiro's protagonist also joins the roster of the most unforgettable characters in modern fiction.'

Laura Restrepo, Alfaguara Prize author of Delirium

'[A] complex, intelligent and engrossing novel. Both an outstanding political thriller and an exploration of Brazil’s descent into violence and oppression'

Vanessa Hughes, Bendigo Weekly

In this award-winning novel, acclaimed Brazilian writer Edgard Telles Ribeiro illuminates a dark corner of his country’s history.

Marcilio Andrade Xavier is a charismatic young diplomat whose intelligence is matched only by his ambition. During the military dictatorship of 1964–1985, Max’s artful manoeuvring — political and personal — assures him a meteoric career as democracies topple throughout South America. Yet Max remains an enigma to his colleagues, his friends, and even his wife, who know few details of his involvement with oppressive regimes, let alone the CIA and MI6.

Amid embassy machinations, glittering parties, dire acts, and revealing intimate encounters, one of Max’s younger colleagues starts piecing together who Max really is, and at what cost he has purchased his dazzling career.

A political thriller of the highest order, His Own Man is a chilling anatomy of power, ambition, and betrayal.

Canberra Times

'[A] sparkling work of fiction ... just crackles with wit, well-tooled phrases and astute observations about power and those who wield it.'

Troy Lennon, Daily Telegraph

View all reviews

Kirkus

'This novel … confirms the author's definitive place among the major novelists of the Portuguese language.'

O Estado de São Paulo

O Globo

O Valor Economico

Praise for I Would Have Loved Him if I Had Not Killed Him: '[Ribeiro's] language is impeccable and imbued with a grace that's impossible to resist.'

Publishers Weekly

'Offers a fascinating look at South American politics and revolution while simultaneously anatomizing a man without a soul.'

Publishers Weekly

'[A] page-turning pleasure that scrutinises Latin American history and politics ... those seeking to understand Brazil's past and present should look to Telles Ribiero.'

Kevin Rabalais, The Monthly

'[A] complex tale of espionage and betrayal [and] a quality offering from a master storyteller'

Maureen Eppen, West Australian

'Telles Ribeiro's protagonist also joins the roster of the most unforgettable characters in modern fiction.'

Laura Restrepo, Alfaguara Prize author of Delirium

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 234mm × 153mm

Extent:352pp

ISBN (13):9781922247384

RRP:£12.99

Pub date:5 Jun 2014

Rights Held: World English

Rights Sold: North America (Other Press), India (Falcon Books)

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2011 Brazilian Pen Club Prize for Fiction - Winner

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Edgard Telles Ribeiro

Edgard Telles Ribeiro spent a peripatetic childhood in Marseille and other European ports of call determined by his father’s diplomatic postings. Eventually he returned to Brazil, where he worked as a journalist, filmmaker, and professor of film studies before entering the foreign service. His novels and short-story collections have garnered some of Brazil’s most important literary prizes, including the Jabuti Prize (twice), the Brazilian Academy of Letters Prize, and, for His Own Man, the Brazilian PEN Prize. He currently divides his time between New York and Rio de Janeiro.

TRANSLATOR

Kim M. Hastings

Kim M. Hastings lived in São Paulo for several years, studied Brazilian language and literature at Brown University, and received a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese from Yale. She is a freelance editor and translator, and has worked with a number of Brazilian writers.

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His Own Man

Edgard Telles Ribeiro (trans. Kim M. Hastings)

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