Laurentino Gomes is a contemporary Brazilian non-fiction writer, and author of three acclaimed best-selling books: “1808”, named after the year of the Portuguese Royal Court’s move to Rio de Janeiro; “1822”, on the Brazilian Independence; and “1889”, about the year Brazil became a republic. With a combined total of more than 2 million copies sold, his books have remained on the bestseller lists of Brazil and Portugal for eight consecutive years. Laurentino has won the prestigious Jabuti Prize, Brazil’s most important literary honor, six times, and has had his work chosen as the best composition of 2008 by the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He holds degrees in journalism from the Federal University of Paraná and an MBA from the University of São Paulo.