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A Grammar, Momentary and Infinite

José Eduardo Agualusa

An island floating in a very ancient sea.

A woman preparing for a delivery.

Eternity is where the future flows into the past.

This book saves images and verses of an infinite instant.

Time does not pass: it is.

 

Caution: contains life.

This colophon summarizes Gramática do instante e do Infinito [Grammar, Momentary and Infinite], by the  prized African writer José Eduardo Agualusa, whose novels have been published in over 20 languages.

Born in Angola, and now living in Portugal and Mozambique, the author always carries a camera, later using the images to inspire his imagination and create narratives. For this book, the author has translated a magic moment to poetry and imagery: his enchantment for his wife, Yara, during her daughter’s pregnancy, Kianda Ainur.

 

Bound in various capulanas (Mozambican textiles), these artisanal edition books are unique, numbered and signed by the author. Its pages are printed one-by-one in distinctive paper, onto which 12 photo prints are glued on Hahnemühle rice-paper. This series of photographs developed into exhibitions in Maputo, Guarda and Lisbon.

Upon the success obtained by the Portuguese edition, the poems have been translated to four more languages (and editions): English, Spanish, French and Umbundu (primary language of the author’s birthplace, Huambo).

Exhibitions

Espaço Talante - Ler Devagar, Lisboa - Portugal.
9 de setembro a 24 de outubro de 2022

Centro de Estudos Ibéricos, Guarda - Portugal.
21 de abril a 13 de junho de 2022

Camões -  Centro Cultural Português, Maputo - Mozambique.
December 1st to February 12th, 2022