Carlos is the grandson of Afonso da Maia, the last surviving member of one of Lisbon's wealthiest and most illustrious families. Carlos is good, handsome, clever, eager to contribute something to society, and yet he appears, as he himself puts it, 'to be one of those weak hearts, soft and flaccid, incapable of preserving any true emotion'. Then, one day, walking along Lisbon's grubby streets he sees a woman who seems to him like a goddess who has just stepped down from the clouds. When he finally meets the beautiful Maria Eduarda, the attraction proves to be as mutual as it is profound. In the plenitude of that love, Carlos seems, in his best friend Ega's words, 'a truly fortunate being', until Fate steps in - in the form of a grizzled, left-wing newspaper hack from Paris - and everything unravels. One of the great masterpieces from the great age of the novel. A reading pleasure which flows off the page in Margaret Jull Costa's elegant translation. AUTHOR: Eça de Queiroz (1845-1900) is considered to be Portugal's greatest novelist. Dedalus has embarked on a project to make all his major works available in English in new translations by Margaret Jull Costa. Published so far are: The Mandarin, The Relic, The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers, The Crime of Father Amaro, Cousin Bazilio, The Maias, The City and The Mountains, Alves & Co and The Mystery of Sintra Road. Dedalus will publish The Illustrious House of Ramires in 2017