Overview
Una novela de aventuras que retrata el delito internacional más insólito de la historia del arte, protagonizada por la enigmática figura del estafador argentino Marqués de Valfierno.
«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 recién empezaba. Por él acusaron y detuvieron a Picasso y Apollinaire, pero pronto tuvieron que soltarlos y asumir que no tenían ni idea de quién se había llevado la Gioconda de su sala del Louvre. La verdad se sigue discutiendo: lo más probable es que el cerebro de la operación fuera un argentino que se hacía llamar marqués de Valfierno. Con esa hipótesis, con esa historia oscura, Martín Caparrós construye una novela en la que recrea la vida del estafador que tuvo en vilo a Francia durante años y que confesó, poco antes de morir, que había planeado el robo por la razón más sorprendente.
Valfierno recibió en 2004 el Premio Planeta Sudamérica y ha sido traducida a una docena de idiomas: con un estilo elegante y depurado, es sin duda una de las novelas más leídas y lograda de Caparrós.
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, Martín Caparrós 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 Marqués 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 Époque, 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 recién empezaba. Por él acusaron y detuvieron a Picasso y Apollinaire, pero pronto tuvieron que soltarlos y asumir que no tenían ni idea de quién se había llevado la Gioconda de su sala del Louvre. La verdad se sigue discutiendo: lo más probable es que el cerebro de la operación fuera un argentino que se hacía llamar marqués de Valfierno. Con esa hipótesis, con esa historia oscura, Martín Caparrós construye una novela en la que recrea la vida del estafador que tuvo en vilo a Francia durante años y que confesó, poco antes de morir, que había planeado el robo por la razón más sorprendente.
Valfierno recibió en 2004 el Premio Planeta Sudamérica y ha sido traducida a una docena de idiomas: con un estilo elegante y depurado, es sin duda una de las novelas más leídas y lograda de Caparrós.
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, Martín Caparrós 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 Marqués 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 Époque, 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.
This book title, Valfierno / Valfierno: The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa, ISBN: 9788439740841, by Martín Caparrós, published by PRH Grupo Editorial (August 22, 2023) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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