Staff Pick
The first of Brazilian writer João Gilberto Noll's novels to appear in English translation, Quiet Creature on the Corner is the slim, sometimes salacious story of a jobless part-time poet at a loss, however unconcernedly, to understand the trajectory of his life. Imprisoned for the rape of a local girl, the poet-narrator soon finds himself sprung from jail and living a more idyllic, opportunistic, and reserved existence in the country. With a propulsive plot and a narrative free of chapter breaks, Quiet Creature on the Corner is stylistically unique, if not more than a little strange. Originally published some 25 years ago, Quiet Creature on the Corner is an enigmatic little tale from one of Brazil's most revered postmodern authors. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
When an unemployed poet finds himself thrown in jail after raping his neighbor, his time in the slammer is mysteriously cut short when hes abruptly taken to a new home a countryside manor where his every need seen to. All thats required of him is to . . . write poetry. Just who are his captors, Kurt and Otávio? What of the alluring maid, Amália, and her charge, a woman with cancer named Gerda? And, most alarmingly of all, why does Kurt suddenly appear to be aging so much faster than he should?
Reminiscent of the films of David Lynch, and written in João Gilberto Nolls distinctive postmodern style a strange world of surfaces seemingly without rational cause and effect Quiet Creature on the Corner is the English-language debut of one of Brazils most popular and celebrated authors. Written during Brazils transition from military dictatorship to democracy and capturing the disjointed feel of that rapidly changing world Quiet Creature is mysterious and abrupt, pivoting on choices that feel both arbitrary and inevitable. Like Kazuo Ishiguro, Noll takes us deep into the mind of person whos always missing a few crucial pieces of information. Is he moving toward an answer to why these people have taken him from jail, or is he just as lost as ever?