Rabih Alameddine

Stories deal with human desire, unrequited love, pregnancy, AIDS, mothers and children, lovers and friends...

This comprehensive political history chronicles the groundbreaking activism of ACT UP and American AIDS activism. This unlikely coalition of activists from all backgrounds changed the world in just six years with their multifaceted attack on the corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals who stood in the way of AIDS treatment for all. Let the Record Show, based on over two hundred interviews with ACT UP members, offers a revelatory exploration of the coalition's inner workings, conflicts, achievements, and ultimate impact on society. A must-read for today's activists.

A proofreader rewrites history by adding a key word, and in doing so rewrites his own life in Jose Saramago's award-winning novel. The History of the Siege of Lisbon is a meditation on the power of words, and the differences between historiography and historical fiction. The novel weaves together the reimagined history of the siege of Lisbon with the story of protagonist Raimundo Silva's unexpected love affair with the editor. This complex tale is a satisfying whole, a brilliant translation from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero.

A satirical science fiction novel, War with the Newts is a thought-provoking tale that explores themes of exploitation and rebellion. The book follows the discovery of an intelligent breed of newts and their subsequent enslavement, acquisition of human knowledge, and eventual rebellion. With similarities to the author's previous work, R.U.R., the novel delves into the tensions between humans and the newts, paving the way for a global war for supremacy.

This posthumous masterpiece is a unique collection of short, aphoristic paragraphs that comprise the "autobiography" of one of Pessoa's alternate selves. Part intimate diary, part prose poetry, and part descriptive narrative, The Book of Disquiet is an astonishing work that gives Lisbon the haunting spell of Joyce's Dublin or Kafka's Prague. With captivating translation by Richard Zenith, this is one of the greatest works of the twentieth century.