A native of Rio de Janeiro, Lúcia Bettencourt is one of the most innovative and dynamic writers in Brazil today. Her first book, the highly acclaimed collection A secretária de Borges, won the SESC Prize for Literature and quickly became one of the publisher¹s bestselling titles; it is currently in its second edition. A subsequent work, “A cicatriz da Olímpia” (Olympia’s Scar), won the inaugural Osman Lins Short Story Contest and appeared in a compilation of notable contemporary Brazilian fiction. Ms. Bettencourt was also awarded the prestigious Josué Guimarães Prize for three as-yet unpublished stories. Her second collection, Linha de sombra (Shadow Line), was recently released and has received numerous favorable reviews.