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The Madwoman of Serrano – Few Words About the Novel by Dina Salústio
The first novel by a female author to be published in Cape Verde, and the first to be translated into English, The Madwoman of Serrano is a magical tale of rural ideals and urban ambition, underpinned by an exploration of female empowerment.
Serrano is an isolated village where a madwoman is said to roam. But is she radical or is she marginalised because she is wise and a woman? Could her babbling be prophecy? One day, a girl falls from the sky and is found in the forest by Jeronimo. The villagers are suspicious of the newcomer, but Jeronimo falls in love with her. When she gives birth and disappears, Jeronimo takes care of the child, naming her Filipa. Years later, estranged from Jeronimo after being taken from the village in mysterious circumstances, Filipa is a successful businesswoman in the city. Her memories of growing up in Serrano and her friendship with the madwoman become increasingly vivid.
When the madwoman’s warnings come true and Serrano’s sheltered existence is threatened by plans to build a dam, Jeronimo heads for the city himself. Will he and Filipa finally be reunited?
Information:
A Louca de Serrano / The Madwoman of Serrano
Author: Dina Salústio
Translation: Jethro Soutar
First published: Edições Spleen First, 1998
English translation: Dedalus, 2019
In 2020, the English translation of A Louca de Serrano was short-listed for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize.
Pages: 224
Available at:
About the author
Dina Salústio was born on Santo Antão, Cape Verde, in 1941. She’s a novelist, the first woman from the country to publish a novel, and the first national writer to have it translated into English. She’s a founding member of Associação dos Escritores Cabo-Verdianos (Association of Cape Verdean Writers) and has been awarded the Rosalía de Castro Award for lifetime achievement by PEN Galicia.
Dina Salústio worked as a teacher, social assistant, and journalist in Portugal, Angola, and Cape Verde. Her first book, Mornas eram as noites (Warm were the Nights), a collection of short stories, was published in 1994 and subsequently translated into Spanish. She published three novels: A Louca de Serrano (The Madwoman of Serrano) in 1998, Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind) in 2009 and Veromar (See-the-Sea) in 2019. Her essay “Violência contra as mulheres” (Violence Against Women) was published in 1999, and she has contributed to numerous short story and poetry anthologies. A new short story collection, Filhos de Deus (God’s Children), was published in 2018.
Bibliography / Sourdes
- The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio on Dedalus Books;
- Dina Salústio on Daedalus Books;
- The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio by Rachel Cordasco on Strange Horizons;
- Read the World – Cape Verde: The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio on Elena Square Eyes blog;
- The Madwoman of Serrano – Dina Salústio by Lucien Darjeun Meadows.
