Born in 1969, KLESTER CAVALCANTI is considered one of the greatest Brazilian investigative journalists. He worked for many years with the leading news magazine in Brazil, Veja. His books, Viúvas da terra (2004), The Name of Death (2006), and Days of Hell in Syria (2012), have each won him the prestigious Jabuti literature prize in Brazil. They explore and denounce problems in contemporary Brazil, from condemnation of the deforestation of the Amazon to a biography of a Brazilian woman who has devoted her life to freeing thousands of Brazilians from modern-day slavery. Other awards include Best Environmental Report from South America, the Natali Prize in Human Rights Journalism, and the Vladimir Herzog Human Rights Award. Cavalcanti became best known in Brazil in 2012 when he was taken prisoner in Homs in Syria despite having permission from the Assad government to travel there, and was only released thanks to pressure from the Brazilian government.
