Known worldwide for publishing the bestseller *The Anatomist*, Federico Andahazi returns to Brazil with the acclaimed *The Book of Forbidden Pleasures*, which he himself describes as his most intense work. The novel features Johannes Gutenberg, known as the inventor of the printing press, and produces an impeccable reconstruction of medieval settings, transporting the reader to various 15th-century European cities. The work, besides being an intriguing novel, is a history lesson. Based on a long period spent studying the famous protagonist in Germany and other European countries, Andahazi uses never-before-reported facts to weave the plot of *The Book of Forbidden Pleasures*. Interestingly, all the events surrounding Gutenberg can be verified by authentic documents. Was he truly this icon of invention or just another plagiarist? In 1455, the city of Mainz, Germany, was in turmoil. As if the popular uprisings so common at the time weren't enough, Gutenberg is being accused of selling clandestine books, stealing, and practicing witchcraft and Satanism along with his business partners. And the prosecutor in the case, considered the greatest copyist of his time, has a special interest in the case. At the same time, terror spreads throughout the city, especially in the Monastery of the Sacred Canastra, a luxury brothel on the banks of the Rhine River whose prostitutes are adept at practicing "forbidden pleasures." The reason: a murderer is on the loose. His victims: invariably, the brothel's prostitutes, who are brutally killed and have their skin meticulously removed. What is their connection to someone as important as Johannes Gutenberg? In The Book of Forbidden Pleasures, Andahazi reinvents the creation of the printing press, a watershed moment in human history. The extremely complex and fascinating character of his protagonist leads the reader through a tour de force and its repercussions, in which it was alleged that his books were the fruit of a pact with the devil. In the first half of 2014, Bertrand will reissue The Anatomist. "In The Book of Forbidden Pleasures, Andahazi 'discovers' that, in addition to creating the printing press, Gutenberg was a great book forger, a shrewd con man. The historical recreation is perfect, compelling." (La Nación) "A captivating novel set five centuries ago. The criminal? Find out for yourself." (Gente Magazine, Buenos Aires)
