Tony Bellotto: Rio Noir

Marcelo Ferroniwas born in 1974 in São Paulo and lives in Rio with his wife and two children. Since the end of 2006 he has been editor of the Alfaguara imprint of Editora Objetiva. He is author of the novels Método pratico da guerrilha (winner of the São Paulo Literature Prize in the New Author category) and Das paredes, meu amor, os escravos nos contemplam .

Guilherme Fiuzais the author of various books, including Meu nome não é Johnny (adapted for the screen), Bussunda — A vida do casseta , and 3,000 dias no bunker . He is coauthor of the miniseries O brado retumbante on TV Globo (with Euclydes Marinho, Denise Bandeira, and Nelson Motta), which was nominated for an International Emmy in 2013. He is a columnist for the magazine Época and the newspaper O Globo .

Alexandre Fraga dos Santoswas born in 1973 in Rio’s Tijuca district. He has worked as a federal police agent for eighteen years. He is author of the novels Oeste — A Guerra do Jogo do Bicho, Canibal de Copacabana , and Quadros de demônios vão ao confessionário . He roots for the Vasco soccer team and is the father of José Artur.

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Rozais a native of Rio de Janeiro with degrees in philosophy and psychology. A former professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), he left academic life after publishing eight books on philosophy and psychoanalysis and soon gained renown as a writer of crime fiction. He is the creator of Inspector Espinosa, protagonist of almost all his stories. His debut novel, The Silence of the Rain , won both the Jabuti and the Nestlé Literature prizes.

Clifford E. Landers,a preeminent translator from Brazilian Portuguese, has translated novels by Rubem Fonseca, Jorge Amado, João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Patrícia Melo, and Paulo Coelho. He received the Mario Ferreira Award and a prose translation grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004. His Literary Translation: A Practical Guide was published by Multilingual Matters Ltd. in 2001. A professor emeritus at New Jersey City University, he now lives in Naples, Florida.

Adriana Lisboa, born in 1970 in Rio, is a novelist, poet, and short story writer. She is the author, among other works, of the novels Symphony in White (winner of the José Saramago Prize), Hut of Fallen Persimmons, Crow Blue (an Independent book of the year), and Hanói ; and the poetry collection Parte da paisagem . Her books have been translated in seventeen countries. She is part of the board of directors of Denver-based NGO US — Brazil Connect, geared toward education.

Raphael Monteswas born in 1990 in Rio. A lawyer and writer, he is considered by Scott Turow to be one of today’s most promising young contemporary fiction writers. Roulette , his first novel, was a finalist for two prestigious Brazilian literary prizes. Perfect Days , his second novel, has been phenomenally successful, was translated into numerous languages, and published in the United States by Penguin Random House. The Village , his third novel, has earned him comparisons to Stephen King.

Victoria Saramagowas born in Rio in 1985, and is an assistant professor of Brazilian literature at the University of Chicago. Her publications include the critical study O duplo do pai: o filho e a ficção de Cristovão Tezza and the novel Renée esfacelada . Her career as a critic and fiction writer was chronicled in Julia de Simone’s documentary Romance de formação .

Luiz Eduardo Soaresis a writer, anthropologist, and political scientist. With a postdoctorate in political philosophy, he occupied the positions of national Secretary of Public Safety (2003) and coordinator of Safety, Justice, and Citizenship for the State of Rio de Janeiro (1999–2000). He is currently a professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Among his published works are the best sellers Cabeça de Porco , with MV Bill and Celso Athayde, and Elite Squad .

Luis Fernando Verissimowas born in 1936 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he still resides. A columnist for the newspapers O Globo, O Estado de São Paulo , and Zero Hora , among others, he boasts a vast literary oeuvre that includes children’s books, humor, comics, and novels, published both in Brazil and abroad. Many of his works have been adapted to cinema, TV, and the theater. His Diálogos impossíveis won the Jabuti Prize for Best Book of the Year.