As part of an ongoing series on the twenty authors from The Best of Young Brazilian Novelists issue – which was first published in Portuguese by Objectiva – Daniel Galera is introduced by previous Best of Young Spanish Language Novelist, Alejandro Zambra.

It’s hard to introduce Daniel Galera’s tale without resorting to adjectives that are more likely to arouse distrust than interest. So I’ll do it anyway: ‘Apnoea’ is an astonishing, surprising text written with enormous skill and fluidity, with a self-possessed awareness of rhythm and meaning in dialogue, with precision, and also (and above all) with wisdom. To write this story in this way, you have to have walked more than once – with love and objectivity – the long road that separates parents and children.