Marcos D. Mateus was born in 1975, in S. João da Madeira. He holds a degree in Marine Biology and a PhD in Environmental Engineering. He is currently a professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico.
Throughout his academic career, he has published dozens of scientific articles in various fields of knowledge. Inclined towards the natural sciences rather than literature, it was the stories of his grandparents that sparked his interest in writing.
The Curse of the Black Stones is his debut novel. Inspired by real events, this captivating account is enriched with stories he heard from his maternal grandparents, who lived and suffered during the turbulent times of the search for tungsten in Portugal during the Second World War.
