Felix Ventura trades in an unusual commodity; he is a dealer in memories, clandestinely selling new pasts to people whose futures are secure and who lack only a good lineage to complete their lives. In this completely original murder mystery, where people are not who they seem and the briefest of connections leads to the forging of entirely new histories, a bookish albino, a beautiful woman, a mysterious foreigner, and a witty talking lizard come together to discover the truth of their lives. Set in Angola, Agualusa's tale darts from tormented past to dream-filled present with a lightness that belies the savage history of a country in which many have something to forget -- and to hide. A brilliant American debut by one of the most lauded writers in the Portuguese-speaking world, this is a beautifully written and always surprising tale of race, truth, and the transformative power of creativity.

若泽·爱德华多·阿瓜卢萨（José Eduardo Agualusa）,1960年出生于安哥拉万博,曾在葡萄牙里斯本求学,现居住于葡萄牙、安哥拉、巴西三地。阿瓜卢萨身兼作家与记者,被视为安哥拉文学的代表性人物,其作品已被翻译成25种语言出版。

祖国动荡不安的历史,一直是阿瓜卢萨关注的题材。他的第一本小说名为《阴谋》（A Conjura）,故事背景设定在1880至1911年间的安哥拉首都罗安达,书中描述了一个对立冲突的社会,唯有适应环境的人才有成功的机会。《克里奥尔人》（Nação crioula）被视作可与布鲁斯·查特文《威达的总督》（The Viceroy of Ouidah）相媲美,荣膺葡萄牙广播电视公司文学大奖。《贩卖过去的人》（O vendedor de passados）以一只会思考的壁虎为叙事者,道出深受安哥拉内战伤害的人们如何弭平伤痛的感人故事,一举斩获2007年英国《独立报》外国小说奖,并成为该项英国书界最著名的文学翻译奖创办以来,首位获此殊荣的非洲作家。荣获2013年费尔南多·纳莫拉文学奖的小说《遗忘通论》（Teoria geral do esquecimento）则塑造了这样一位离奇的女性形象,她在安哥拉独立前夜,因不堪战乱的纷扰,将自己锁闭在房里,与世隔绝地度过了三十年。

除了长篇小说,阿瓜卢萨的作品类型还包括短篇小说、诗歌、戏剧、童书等。

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陈逸轩,译者,高雄人。接生过许多流离失所的文字。专长是成为陌生人。