# Is "The Hour of the Star" by Clarice Lispector a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector (Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1977) is identified by: True first: Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1977 (A hora da estrela), published shortly before Lispector's death in December 1977. Portuguese/Brazilian true first is Jose Olympio 1977.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first: Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1977 (A hora da estrela), published shortly before Lispector's death in December 1977
- First edition in English: Carcanet Press, Manchester, 1986, translated with an afterword by Giovanni Pontiero; the copyright page carries a 'first English edition' statement
- It is a slim octavo of 96 pp issued in cloth with dust jacket (dealer catalogues report black cloth with gilt spine lettering)
- Given the short single print run, points beyond the edition statement are minimal; confirm via the 1986 Carcanet imprint and Pontiero's afterword
- Publisher imprint reads Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clarice Lispector |
| Publisher | Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first: Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1977 (A hora da estrela), published shortly before Lispector's death in December… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first: Livraria Jose Olympio Editora, Rio de Janeiro, 1977 (A hora da estrela), published shortly before Lispector's death in December 1977. First edition in English: Carcanet Press, Manchester, 1986, translated with an afterword by Giovanni Pontiero; the copyright page carries a 'first English edition' statement. It is a slim octavo of 96 pp issued in cloth with dust jacket (dealer catalogues report black cloth with gilt spine lettering). Given the short single print run, points beyond the edition statement are minimal; confirm via the 1986 Carcanet imprint and Pontiero's afterword.

## Is this the true first?
Portuguese/Brazilian true first is Jose Olympio 1977. The UK Carcanet 1986 is the first English and PRECEDES the first US edition (New Directions, New York, 1992, same Pontiero translation) — a UK-before-US case; do not mistake the New Directions printing for the first in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
New Directions 1992 (US) is a later edition, not a book club. A 2011 New Directions retranslation by Benjamin Moser is a separate translation / 'first thus,' not a reprint of this text. No book-club printing documented.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hour of the Star* by Clarice Lispector a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hour-of-the-star
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.