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Many people of Portuguese descent take pride in claiming that the word "saudade" is untranslatable. In reality, we come close with a melding of bittersweet nostalgia, bone--deep longing, and an endless yearning for what one can never have again--or indeed may never have had. Adelaide Freitas dipped her pen in
saudade to tell of family separation and bonds that never loosen. In her authentic Azorean voice, she recounts the immigrant experience and centrifugal impulses that force people apart in spite of their desperation to cling to one another. In their sensitive rendering, the translators have captured the nuances of Freitas's novel
Smiling in the Darkness, with special care for those who have her native language in their heritage and heartfelt
saudade for its loss.
About the author
Adelaide Freitas (1949--2018) was a celebrated author of prose and poetry, and a tenured professor at the University of the Azores. In 2018, Freitas was honored by the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores with the Insígnia Autonómica de Reconhecimento (Commendation of Recognition).
Katharine F. Baker's translations include
I No Longer Like Chocolates by Álamo Oliveira, The Portuguese Presence in California by Eduardo Mayone Dias, and My Californian Friends: Poetry by Vasco Pereira da Costa.
Summary
Adelaide Freitas dipped her pen in “saudade” to tell of family separation and bonds that never loosen. In their sensitive rendering, the translators have captured the nuances of Freitas's novel Smiling in the Darkness, with special care for those who have her native Language in their heritage and heartfelt saudade for its loss.
