Splancanna ó Shaol Eile

by Alex Hijmans

One hundred photographs. One hundred short essays. A faraway country in words and pictures, unknown ... but in the right at the heart of the world market.
All eyes are on Brazil at the moment and will be for the near future: 2014 – the World Cup in Brazil, 2016 – the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Economically and politically Brazil is now more important than ever before on the international stage as the giant of South America.
Here’s your invitation to get to know Brazil – to really get to know it, to avoid the clichés. In this book Alex Hijmans, a foreign correspondent in the country since 2007, shows you insights into Brazil that aren’t found on the postcards. Indeed, the book covers many of the reasons for the recent social unrest in that country.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Alex Hijmans was born in Heemskerk in Holland In 1975. He moved to Galway in 1995 to learn Irish as part of his degree in Celtic Studies in Holland’s Utrecht University. After his degree he did a Higher Diploma in Applied Communications in Galway University and began a career in journalism in Ireland. Alex worked for Foinse, Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ and Nuacht TG4 for ten years. He has translated a novel for teenagers, Maistín (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2001), from Dutch to Irish and his play Aingilín was performed in Dublin and Galway in 2002. Short Stories by Alex pen have been published in the magazines Comhar, Crannóg agus Dúillí Éireann.

At the end of 2007 Alex headed for South America, where he spend six months living in a poor suburb - or favela - on the outskirts of Salvador, the third largest city in Brazil. This provided the material for his novel Favela (Cois Life, 2009) which was shortlisted for Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin 2010 (Irish Language Book of the Year Award). His next novel Aiséirí will be published in 2011.

Alex and his husband Nilton live in Salvador.