"Written by Virgínia do Carmo and translated by Richard Simas, this powerful and lyrical book brings to light the silenced story of Zulmira — a woman whose life and struggles echo those of countless others. Now available in English for the first time, Zulmira Died invites readers into a moving portrait of resilience, injustice, and the enduring search for dignity."
Diniz Borges (Bruma Publications)
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In the saddest moments, Zulmira sat on the steps. She liked the feeling of unleveled reality and felt that the uneven surface made sense of her troubled soul, full of doubts. It was as if the ups and downs of her thoughts was comparable to the rhythmic swinging of questions and the fluctuation of answers.
The day Zulmira decided to go meet the town priest, she hoped he might give her a bit of tranquility, a level of justice upon which to rest from the steep slope at the summit of her effort. Perhaps a chance to sit and admire, passively, the peaceful levelling of her heart.
What Zulmira didn’t know was that the church too was full of steps, missing steps made for small feet and regularized steps. And Zulmira finally realized she had sins, not doubts.
(excerto/ excerpt)
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Virgínia do Carmo (b. France, 1973), Portuguese writer and editor (Poética Edições), holds a post-graduate degree in Social Communication /Journalism from the University of Lisbon. Her poetry and fiction has appeared in various individual and collective publications. She organized the anthology 13 Contemporary Portuguese Poets (Argentina, Leviatán Editorial, 2020), and is one of the poets included in the anthology Tras los claveles. 35 Portuguese poets 1970-1999 (Spain, Garvm Ediciones, 2022). Zulmira died (Zulmira morreu), her first work to appear in English, was translated and published in Spain. Her most recent book is entitled A menina que aprendeu a matar centopeias e outros poemas / The girl who learned to kill centipedes and other poems (Poética Edições, Portugal, 2023).
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Richard Simas is a free-lance writer living in Montréal with a background in literature, music, and the performing arts. His publications appear regularly in contemporary art and literary reviews in Europe and in North America with awards from the Journey Prize anthology, the Fiddlehead Review Fiction competition, and a Camões Institute prize. His book about the musical exchanges between a Portuguese cod-fishing captain and a young Newfoundland accordion player, The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzes, was published in 2019 with Running the Goat Press in New-foundland. A Portuguese-English version was published by Poética Edições in 2023. Searching for the Origins of the Portuguese Waltzes, a collection of chronicles, was published in 2024 with Peter Lang Ltd.
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Edição: Poética Edições / Bruma Publications (California State University, Fresno) | Agosto de 2025 | ISBN: 978-989-9241-21-3 | Páginas: 58 | Encadernação: capa mole com badanas | Formato: 12cmx22cm