The Book of Rio

This diverse, literary patchwork of Rio de Janeiro contains 10 short stories set in varied quarters of the city drawing on its inhabitants' experiences of recent historical and cultural changes. From Copacabana's thriving LGBT scene in the 1960s where the military dictatorship simultaneously terrorizes and represses politically-minded citizens, to the exhausted labourers constructing the Rio-Niteroi bridge - 'the pride of Brazil' - at gunpoint in 1974, to contemporary life in the neighbourhood of Leblon, where a call girl trying to get to a party reluctantly accepts a very strange job for the evening. The ten stories in this anthology bring to life the complex and ever-changing face of Rio de Janeiro behind the images of slums, carnivals and the sex trade. Featuring stories by award-winning, leading authors, screenwriters, journalists and playwrights, including 2013 International Emmy Award-winner, João Ximenes Braga.