In the Name of Desire

In the Name of Desire has been one of the most successful gay novels in Brazil since it was first released in Portuguese in the 1980s (Em Nome Do Desejo). This is its first translation into English, after almost four decades in print. The novel traces the remembrances of a man who returns to the seminary where he studied as a child. This visit, thirty years after his sudden departure, evokes stirring memories of his time there: his first love, nascent homosexual desire, the metaphorical agony of Catholic rituals, and the physical harm inflicted by peers and priests alike. As he revisits the halls, his memory wanders throughout the seminary, creating a narrative both liturgical and profane.

About the Author :
João Silvério Trevisan is arguably one of the most important LGBTQAI+ activists in Brazil. Since his first novel in the 1960s, he has addressed same-sex desire and discussed important questions for the queer community. He created, alongside other prominent figures, the first gay newspaper in 1978, Lampião da esquina. He was also a member of Somos, one of the very first gay organizations in Brazil. Consequently, he was at the forefront of the first responses to the AIDS crisis in Brazil in the early 1980s. His career spans throughout the past five decades in literature, essay, cinema, activism, and journalism. His first movie, Orgia ou homem que deu cria, now a cult classic, was one of the first to address queer desire on screen. His latest books are Pai, a memoir recounting the troubled relationship with his father and, most recently, Seis balas num buraco só, a very provocative book of essays discussing masculinity and its effects on our society. Ben De Witte (he, ele, él) holds a doctorate in comparative literature from Rutgers University and currently teaches courses in literary studies and translation at the University of Leuven. Ben has published scholarly articles and review essays in the area of modern drama and performance, queer modernism, and translation studies. João Nemi Neto (he, ele, él). Brazil. João is a writer, translator, and teacher. His first novel, Os dois piores anos da minha vida, came out in 2021. It is a young adult story regarding his coming out as a teenager in the countryside of Brazil. His first book of poetry, Corpo(s), was published in São Paulo in 2016. He collaborated with a collective of Latin American writers for The US without us (Sangria Editores 2015), published in New York and Santiago, Chile; and Tente Entender o que tento dizer. Poesia: HIV/ AIDS organized by the poet Ramon Nunes Melo in 2019. His latest book is Cannibalizing Queer: Brazilian Cinema from 1970 to 2015 (Wayne State University Press 2022).