Ponder the enigma of a writer who can’t read the words he’s strung together.
No, I’m not having a stroke. I simply cannot speak, read, or write Portuguese. And that’s the language of the newest translation of my 2016 book MORGUE A LIFE IN DEATH, with famed medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio.
O SEGREDO DOS CORPOS (“The Secrets of Bodies”), published by Rio de Janeiro’s DarkSide Books, has just hit Brazilian streets. And it’s getting a lot of attention in South America’s biggest market. Just Google the title and you’ll find a lot of Brazlian YouTube reviews—including one where the reviewer dons a mask and surgical gloves before pulling the book from a miniature body bag.
Plenty of printed reviews, too, sing the praises of O Segredo dos Corpos (which features a startlingly eye-catching image of a real corpse from the provocative BodyWorlds exhibit). Here’s one from Contra Capa, a Brazilian book-reviewing site:
“Para quem se interessa por medicina forense, O Segredo dos Corpos é um prato cheio, pois não é apenas uma leitura informativa, mas também viciante para aqueles que gostam de ler sobre os crimes da vida real. Mesmo sem reviravoltas mirabolantes, prepare-se para uma leitura densa e de tirar o fôlego, pois Di Maio e Franscell fazem exatamente o que prometem: explanam a verdade nua e crua do que acontece em um necrotério.”
This is the first of MORGUE‘s many foreign translations coming this year. Speak Korean? 우리는 당신을 덮었습니다. Turkish? Sorun değil. So if you like your forensics in foreign languages, keep yourn eye out for upcoming translations!