The Books that Devoured my Father

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.