Blank Gaze - Softcover

'Brilliantly rendered ... Peixoto's ironic sensibility shines through beautifully' James Robertson 'Peixoto's evocation of pathos is tempered by a keen sense of the absurd' Financial Times 'An impressive and unusual feat ... Intensely beautiful writing packed with startling and memorable images ... his bold, incantatory prose is consistently beautiful - apparently simple but also incredibly rich and resonant' Independent 'Peixoto is one of the most surprising revelations in recent Portuguese literature. I have no doubts that he is the safe promise of a great writer' Jose Saramago

Against a backdrop of rural Portuguese poverty, a handful of magical characters are living out their destiny: Jose, a shepherd, who is visited by a devil whispering violent words in his ear; Moises and Elias, Siamese twins joined at the tip of their little fingers; Gabriel, a wise man, who is over one hundred years old; and an unnamed character who sits writing alone in a windowless room. The characters are universal, and they are all at the mercy of fate - their lives are pulled in different directions and sometimes even suffocated and snuffed out.