Kirion Press has just launched The Slope of Memory, a masterpiece by Brazilian novelist and critic José Geraldo Vieira, translated by his grandson, Roberto Geraldo van Eyken. Originally written in Portuguese and published in Brazil in 1949, the novel has been republished numerous times, the most recent being in 2021. It is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest novels in Brazilian literature. This year’s launch marks the first time any of Vieira’s works has been translated into English.

The plot concerns two people who must endure the sufferings of a moral conflict brought on by their love for each other. Noted for its image-laden descriptions of locations in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the novel also contains many references to world events immediately preceding and during World War II, which parallel the lives of the protagonists.

As with several others of Vieira’s works, The Slope of Memory contains autobiographical references, although, as there is as yet no definitive biography of Vieira, it is difficult to say how closely the novel parallels the author’s life. One similarity is impossible to ignore, however: the novel’s male protagonist is a young radiologist who writes novels, as was the author himself.

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