Equator. A Colonial Novel

The beginning of the 20th century. The Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe, lost on the equator, has been in tropical stupor for centuries. Progress and enlightenment arrive there suddenly, threatening economic collapse for both the colony and the metropolis — if the British consul discovers that slavery is practiced on the plantations. A new governor — a capital fop and libertine, Luís-Bernardo Valença — arrives on the islands on a special mission from the Portuguese king.

The novel, of epic proportions, compellingly draws the reader into the world of muggy tropics and their colorful inhabitants — white planters and Angolan workers. Like the moisture-laden equatorial forest, it is filled with intense emotions, the clash of noble and base feelings, and the collisions of a passionate, poetic love story.

First published in 2003 in Portugal, Miguel Sousa Tavares' novel (b. 1950) received the status of the best book of the decade in his homeland. Since then, "Equator" has been consistently published with success in dozens of countries in eleven languages.