No Dragons in Paradise
Brazil

No Dragons in Paradise

by Caio Fernando Abreu

Love & Passion Comedy 1988

Summary

Love can be intoxicating, terrifying, and impossible to escape. In this collection of thirteen interconnected stories, Caio Fernando Abreu explores the lives of people searching for intimacy in a world that often leaves them feeling invisible. A boy experiences the overwhelming intensity of his first crush; a drag queen searches for connection in the night; a lonely son visits his mother; and two men discover unexpected tenderness in the darkness. Moving between desire, heartbreak, loneliness, and moments of ecstatic possibility, Abreu portrays characters who refuse to surrender their longing for love, even when society rejects them. Music, astrology, dreams, and popular culture weave through these stories, creating a sensuous, almost psychedelic portrait of urban Brazil. Written during the shadow of military dictatorship and at the dawn of the AIDS crisis, the collection gives voice to outsiders whose experiences were frequently marginalised. Tender, restless, and unapologetically queer, it celebrates the fragile beauty of being alive and loving another person.

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Country
Brazil
South America
About the author
Caio Fernando Abreu
Caio Fernando Abreu

Caio Fernando Abreu (1948–1996) was a Brazilian novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist celebrated for his emotionally intense portrayals of love, alienation, sexuality, and life under political repression. Born in Santiago do Boqueirão in southern Brazil, he began publishing stories as a teenager and later worked for prominent Brazilian magazines, including Veja. His writing emerged during the military dictatorship, and his frank exploration of homosexuality and unconventional relationships challenged the conservative values of the time. His acclaimed collections include Moldy Strawberries (Morangos mofados, 1982), The Dragons Don’t Know Paradise (1988), and Triângulo das Águas (1983). He received the prestigious Jabuti literary award twice for his fiction. In 1994, Abreu publicly disclosed that he was HIV-positive, bringing greater visibility to the AIDS crisis in Brazil. He died in Porto Alegre in 1996, aged 47, leaving behind a deeply influential body of work that continues to resonate with LGBTQ+ readers and writers.

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Details
Published
1988
Author
Caio Fernando Abreu