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Ronaldinho’s is the classic rags-to-riches tale of the outrageously talented boy from the Brazilian back streets who, despite his humble origins, conquers the footballing world. As Jethro Soutar shows, Ronaldinho's early years were hard, and he had to cope with a family tragedy at a tender age before making his name as the star of local team Gremio, whose youth club he joined when he was just six. Understandably, his decision in 2001 to transfer to Paris St. Germain proved controversial and unpopular locally, with those same Gremio fans who had hero-worshipped him now turning against him. As it transpired, Ronaldinho's time in France yielded little success on the pitch and provoked the fir...
The first novel by a female author to be published in Cape Verde, and the first to be translated into English, The Madwoman of Serrano is a magical tale of rural ideals and urban ambition, underpinned by an exploration of female empowerment. Serrano is an isolated village where a madwoman roams. But is she really mad or is she marginalised because she is wise and a woman? Could her babbling be prophecy? One day a girl falls from the sky and is found in the forest by Jeronimo. The villagers are suspicious of the newcomer, but Jeronimo falls in love with her. When she gives birth and disappears, Jeronimo takes care of the child, naming her Filipa. Years later, estranged from Jeronimo after being taken from the village in mysterious circumstances, Filipa is a successful businesswoman in the city. Her memories of growing up in Serrano and her friendship with the madwoman become increasingly vivid. When the madwoman's warnings come true and Serrano's sheltered existence is threatened by plans to build a dam, Jeronimo heads for the city himself. Will he and Filipa finally be reunited?
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By Night the Mountain Burns recounts the narrator's childhood on a remote island off the West African coast, living with his mysterious grandfather, several mothers and no fathers. We learn of a dark chapter in the island's history: a bush fire destroys the crops, then hundreds perish in a cholera outbreak. Superstition dominates, and the islanders must sacrifice their possessions to the enraged ocean god. What of their lives will they manage to save? Whitmanesque in its lyrical evocation of the island, Ávila Laurel’s writing builds quietly, through the oral rhythms of traditional storytelling, into gripping drama worthy of an Achebe or a García Márquez.
This is not simply a triumph of style; it is both a reflection on a time of bloodshed and a raw vision of human misery. Guillermo Saccomanno, winner of the Argentine National Literature Prize. This man knows. He knows about guns, knows about women...
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According to the police, the victim was stabbed in the heart before the head was separated from the body. As the investigation continues other hotel clients are decapitated, usually with the head found delicately balanced on the knees of the sitting victim. A witty, touching account of life at the edge of Brazilian society, dressed up as a murder mystery.
It’s the city the rest of the world descends on to party…. whether for the spectacular annual Carnival, the sun-kissed beaches, the World Cup, or, in 2016, the Olympics. It’s also a place that’s sadly become synonymous with some of the excesses of partying, the dark underbelly that accompanies any urban hedonist’s destination. But these are just two images of Rio. There are countless others: opulent seat of two former empires; stronghold of brutal, twentieth-century dictatorships; sprawling metropolis stretched between stunning mountain tops and equally stunningeconomic extremes – from the affluence of neighbourhoods like Leblon and Ipanema, to the overcrowded slums in the foothi...
Gael Garcia Bernal has become the most well-known face of Latin American cinema. He has starred in many of the Latin American movies that have been very successful in the UK and the US, including Y Tu Mama Tambien, Amores Perros and The Motorcycle Diaries. His more recent films include Babel and The Science of Sleep. He is passionately political; well known for his activities in promoting awareness of big issues such as poverty in Latin America and Fair Trade and for his protests at the 2005 G8 summit. He has been labelled the new Johnny Depp and James Dean, and has topped countless ''Year's Sexiest Man'' lists. This book will be the first biography of the star and will also tell the story of the rise of Latin America's pioneer filmmakers - driven to produce movies that bring the problems of areas like the Favelas to the World's screens. GGB has a connection with the UK: taking a break from filmmaking a few years ago, he worked on building sites and in bars in London whilst attending drama school. This book will appeal to fans of film books like Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures.
Andre Diniz tells the extraordinary story of Mauricio Hora, who lives in one of the most dangerous slums (favelas) in Rio, Brazil. In spite of the odds, Hora has made a name for himself internationally as a photographer. We are led from his challenging childhood, living with his drug dealer father, up to the present day."