Meridiano 28

In 21st-century Lisbon, José Filemom Marques, owner of a vintage computer shop, is visited by an American with the mannerisms and bearing of Morgan Freeman. The strange proposal he makes takes him on a series of journeys between Europe and America, eventually leading him to the picturesque town of Horta in the Azores, where the last traces of the great volcano now lie dormant.

Eighty years earlier, Hansi Abke had joined the elite group of German, British and American telegraphists who, on the island of Faial, were dedicated to connecting the world, living in harmony (and in celebration) in the midst of the Second World War. At sea, Hitler's periscopes emerged; dozens of British ships were sunk every month; Roosevelt's planes were slow to arrive. On land, English children continued to attend the German school, sharing desks with boys adorned with swastikas.

Families gathered for picnics and jazz dances. Pan American's seaplanes brought musicians and movie stars, statesmen and boxing champions. The most passionate love stories were being lived – including the one that had separated Hansi and his English friend, the handsome and vigorous Roy Groves...

But who was Hansi Abke? What shadow does he now cast over the fate of José Filemom, the nephew raised in Brazil?

A novel that goes from Lisbon to New York, from Freiburg to Prague, from Bristol to Porto Alegre and to the islands of the Azores, where everyone is discovered and no one can be caught. A reunion between two men from different times, who may have more in common than they would like to admit...

"The writing is clean and of high quality, in keeping with the author's sober intelligence, without the swarms of clichés that for some people make good literature."
Luís M. Faria, Expresso