Luso Saga: Notes from a Trip

Saga Lusa – O relato de uma viagem is a humorous account by Adriana Calcanhotto about her adventures during the Portuguese tour for the album Maré, between May and June 2008. It now returns to bookstores to celebrate its coming of age — 18 years after its original release as Editora Cobogó's very first book.

The trip starts off poorly: a Rio–Lisbon flight with no sleep, interviews right upon landing, and a concert where the power goes out—yet Adriana keeps singing anyway. To top it off, a severe flu leads to a disastrous cocktail of medications, resulting in a drug-induced psychotic episode that forces her to cancel tour dates and commitments.

Confined to hotel rooms, unable to sleep for several days, torn between doctors, hospitals, medications, medical tests, and the uncertainty of when it would all end, Adriana writes compulsively to ward off fear — an anchor that helps her maintain some semblance of sanity. As she narrates her saga, Adriana laughs at herself, turns the Portuguese language inside out, and finds humor amidst despair. Surrounded by songs and books that insist on creeping into her writing, she ultimately discovers one certainty among so many afflictions: that “joy is the ultimate test”.

Specifications
Title Luso Saga: Notes from a Trip
Author Adriana Calcanhotto
Language Portuguese
Number of pages 168
Publisher Editora Cobogó
ISBN 978-65-5691-206-6
Cover Felipe Kaizer (adaptation by Mari Taboada)
Binding Paperback
Format 14x21 cm
Publication year 2026