In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Samanta Schweblin's Good and Evil, a striking third story collection. In it's starred review, PW says "Each entry is more luminous and shocking than the last."
Here's how the book came together:
Samanta Schweblin
“I began this book with the question of what forces command the predictability of our lives, and what forces challenge these tendencies. We live immersed in immediacy and its simplifications—this kind of waking sleep in which we drift through our days, even as terrible things happen around us, because it’s not that we live in a boring world. So, what wakes us up? What forces us to truly pay attention again—to stop and think?”
Johanna Castillo
“There was significant interest from publishers as soon as we submitted the manuscript. Before the auction could begin, John Freeman from Knopf made a preemptive offer. Jordan Pavlin, John, and the entire team at Knopf had a clear and passionate vision for the book, and their enthusiasm was truly infectious.”
Megan McDowell
“I had this cabin in the woods, and I remember sitting on the porch in a rocker or pacing up and down while I sent a stream of voice messages to Samanta about questions that were arising as I edited the translation, and then listening to her responses. We were in constant contact, sending texts and audios and images, and that was the moment the book came alive for me.”
John Freeman
“The stories were already in great shape, but as an editor I felt compelled to read them against their own ambitions and make suggestions. So much of what these stories do brilliantly is accomplished by tiny adjustments of tone and suggestiveness, and to watch this modulated and refined in stereo, all overseen by Samanta, was a dazzling experience.”
Luisa Dias
“I started doing visual research and exploring ideas based on recurring themes and imagery that surfaced throughout the stories. I invited Uma Joana to collaborate as the illustrator. I’ve long admired her work, and felt she was the perfect fit for something that required both sensitivity and strength.”
