Marcello Quintanilha

Marcello Eduardo Mouco Quintanilha was born in 1971 in Niterói, Brazil. He began publishing comics in 1988, working under the pseudonym Marcelo Gaú for magazines including *Mestre Kim*, *General*, *Metal Pesado*, and *Zé Pereira*. His first graphic novel, *Fealdade de Fabiano Gorila*, appeared in 1999.

That same year, at the inaugural International Comics Festival of Belo Horizonte, Quintanilha met French artist François Boucq, who encouraged him to submit his work to European publishers. This led to a contract with Belgian publisher Le Lombard and the 2003 release of *La promesse*, the first volume of the series *Sept balles pour Oxford*, co-written by Argentine Jorge Zentner and Spanish writer Montecarlo. Relocating to Barcelona to work more closely with his collaborators, Quintanilha also began contributing illustrations to *El País* and *La Vanguardia*.

He continued creating albums for Brazilian readers, winning the HQMIX Trophy for best Brazilian artist for his 2009 work *Sábado dos meus amores*. In 2016, his graphic novel *Tungstène* earned the Fauve Polar SNCF award at the 43rd Festival d'Angoulême. He published his first prose novel, *Deserama*, in 2020. Two years later, at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, he received the Prize for Best Album for *Écoute, jolie Marcia*.