Written in the aftermath of civil war, these early stories are among Mia Couto's freshest, most original fiction. In tales that mingle playful comedy with surprising plot twists and magical events, fishermen, fortune-tellers, widows, cross-dressers, small-town drinkers and even an errant hippopotamus, rediscover life's possibilities and the ability to dream. A new translation of brilliant stories by Man Booker-finalist and author of Confession of the Lioness.