The Strange and Magical Story of Vivaldo Bonfim. Vivaldo Bonfim was a bored book-keeper whose main escape from the tedium of his work was provided by novels. In the office, he tended to read rather than work, and, one day, became so immersed in a book that he got lost and disappeared completely. That, at least, is the version given to Vivaldo's son, Elias, by his grandmother. One day, Elias sets off, like a modern-day Telemachus, in search of the father he never knew. His journey takes him through the plots of many classic novels, replete with murders, all-consuming passions, wild beasts and other literary perils. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa.

Elias's father used to read novels at work to transport himself from his boring duties as a book-keeper until he literally lost himself in a book, or so Elias was told. Elias goes off in search of the father he never knew, across the action-packed plots of many recognisable classics. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa.