Zulmira Died

Written by Virgínia do Carmo and translated by Richard Simas, this powerful and lyrical book brings to light the silenced story of Zulmira — a woman whose life and struggles echo those of countless others. Now available in English for the first time, Zulmira Died invites readers into a moving portrait of resilience, injustice, and the enduring search for dignity. Diniz Borges (Bruma Publications)

In the saddest moments, Zulmira sat on the steps. She liked the feeling of unleveled reality and felt that the uneven surface made sense of her troubled soul, full of doubts. It was as if the ups and downs of her thoughts were comparable to the rhythmic swinging of questions and the fluctuation of answers.

The day Zulmira decided to go meet the town priest, she hoped he might give her a bit of tranquility, a level of justice upon which to rest from the steep slope at the summit of her effort. Perhaps a chance to sit and admire, passively, the peaceful levelling of her heart.

What Zulmira didn’t know was that the church too was full of steps, missing steps made for small feet and regularized steps. And Zulmira finally realized she had sins, not doubts.