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Valfierno / Valfierno: The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa
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«Una exquisita e inteligente mirada en torno a la identidad, la clase y el arte, todo en una historia intrigante basada en hechos reales .--Kirkus Lo llamaron el robo del siglo, aunque el siglo recin empezaba. Por l acusaron y detuvieron a Picasso y Apollinaire, pero pronto tuvieron que soltarlos y asumir que no tenan ni idea de quin se haba llevado la Gioconda de su sala del Louvre. La verdad se sigue discutiendo: lo ms probable es que el cerebro de la operacin fuera un argentino que se haca llamar marqus de Valfierno. Con esa hiptesis, con esa historia oscura, Martn Caparrs construye una novela en la que recrea la vida del estafador que tuvo en vilo a Francia durante aos y que confes, poco antes de morir, que haba planeado el robo por la razn ms sorprendente. Valfierno recibi en 2004 el Premio Planeta Sudamrica y ha sido traducida a una docena de idiomas: con un estilo elegante y depurado, es sin duda una de las novelas ms ledas y lograda de Caparrs. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION The Vanishing of the Mona Lisa is a captivating fictionalization of the greatest art theft of the twentieth century.
On August 22, 1911, the world was shocked by an unthinkable and audacious crime: Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, disappeared from the walls of the Louvre. While artists such as Picasso and Apollinaire were suspected of the theft, no arrests were made. Two years later an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia, was detained when trying to sell the Mona Lisa to an antiques dealer in Florence--but the mystery of the theft itself was never satisfactorily resolved. In his spellbinding novel, Martn Caparrs tackles this enigma, presenting us with a fascinating criminal unable to go to his grave without divulging the details of his outrageous heist. In tantalizing conversations with an American journalist, the Marqus de Valfierno sheds light on his past secrets, including his sordid origins as Bollino, son of a Buenos Aires servant woman, a man ultimately transformed into the most notorious con artist in the world. A sly and consummate entertainer, Valfierno reveals the shifting identities of the anonymous Argentine boy who has gone on to become a veritable artist, creating for himself the perfect role of wealthy aristocrat in Belle poque, Paris, as he prepares for his crime. Featuring an engaging cat-and-mouse drama with unforgettable characters, this is a brilliant fictionalization of the greatest theft of the twentieth century, as well as a compelling psychological portrait of a true mastermind.
«Una exquisita e inteligente mirada en torno a la identidad, la clase y el arte, todo en una historia intrigante basada en hechos reales .--Kirkus Lo llamaron el robo del siglo, aunque el siglo recin empezaba. Por l acusaron y detuvieron a Picasso y Apollinaire, pero pronto tuvieron que soltarlos y asumir que no tenan ni idea de quin se haba llevado la Gioconda de su sala del Louvre. La verdad se sigue discutiendo: lo ms probable es que el cerebro de la operacin fuera un argentino que se haca llamar marqus de Valfierno. Con esa hiptesis, con esa historia oscura, Martn Caparrs construye una novela en la que recrea la vida del estafador que tuvo en vilo a Francia durante aos y que confes, poco antes de morir, que haba planeado el robo por la razn ms sorprendente. Valfierno recibi en 2004 el Premio Planeta Sudamrica y ha sido traducida a una docena de idiomas: con un estilo elegante y depurado, es sin duda una de las novelas ms ledas y lograda de Caparrs. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION The Vanishing of the Mona Lisa is a captivating fictionalization of the greatest art theft of the twentieth century.
On August 22, 1911, the world was shocked by an unthinkable and audacious crime: Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, disappeared from the walls of the Louvre. While artists such as Picasso and Apollinaire were suspected of the theft, no arrests were made. Two years later an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia, was detained when trying to sell the Mona Lisa to an antiques dealer in Florence--but the mystery of the theft itself was never satisfactorily resolved. In his spellbinding novel, Martn Caparrs tackles this enigma, presenting us with a fascinating criminal unable to go to his grave without divulging the details of his outrageous heist. In tantalizing conversations with an American journalist, the Marqus de Valfierno sheds light on his past secrets, including his sordid origins as Bollino, son of a Buenos Aires servant woman, a man ultimately transformed into the most notorious con artist in the world. A sly and consummate entertainer, Valfierno reveals the shifting identities of the anonymous Argentine boy who has gone on to become a veritable artist, creating for himself the perfect role of wealthy aristocrat in Belle poque, Paris, as he prepares for his crime. Featuring an engaging cat-and-mouse drama with unforgettable characters, this is a brilliant fictionalization of the greatest theft of the twentieth century, as well as a compelling psychological portrait of a true mastermind.
Paperback
$19.95