Translating from the Portuguese

"This poignant book is a reminiscence, a treatise, a love song to a polyphonic world. Lowe introduces memories with the clarity and certainty of a filmmaker, and the stories that stem from them conjure the international postwar awe and intrigue of John le Carré . In its range alone, Lowe's prose is boundless, and her ear for the varied, rippling sounds found in language is pitch perfect. The Mount Rushmore of Lusophone translators is Gregory Rabassa, Helen Caldwell, Richard Zenith, and Margaret Jull Costa. With this work, Elizabeth Lowe has expanded the pantheon." - Ezra Fitz, New York Times bestselling translator of literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, and screenplays

"Lowe's multilingual, multicultural background has undoubtedly led to a life shaped by translation. In turn, she has shaped translation like few others. Her memoir reveals her compelling approach: translation as storytelling and wordsmithing, friendship and community, scholarship and teaching, craft and alchemy. Full of adventure, serendipity, and insight, this book tells the story of a pioneering, inspiring, and fascinating life." - Denise Kripper, author of Narratives of Mistranslation and translation editor of Latin American Literature Today