Alexandra Lapierre – författare

Artemisia Gentileschi is one of the most fascinating artists in history. Apprenticed at an early age to her father, the seventeenth-century painter Orazio Gentileschi, she rapidly became more famous than he was, for her rich, dramatic canvases. But her fame was tarnished by scandal. At the age of seventeen, she was violently raped by Agostino Tassi, an artist friend of Orazio's. On discovering Tassi's betrayal, Orazio took the case to court and there followed, in 1612, eight months of humiliation for Artemisia as the inhabitants of Rome's colourful artist's quarter came to give evidence. Their testimony - frank, partial, often cruel - in this first rape trial ever to be fully documented, made Artemisia and her father notorious.

From the internationally bestselling author of the “fascinating epic” (Associated Press) Between Love and Honor comes a rich, sweeping tale based on the captivating true story of the Mata Hari of Russia, featuring a beautiful aristocrat fighting for survival during the deadly upheaval of the Russian Revolution. Born into Russian aristocracy, wealth, and security, Moura never had any reason to worry. But in the upheaval of the Bolshevik Revolution, her entire world crumbles. As her family and friends are being persecuted by Vladimir Lenin’s ruthless police, she falls into a passionate affair with British secret agent Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. But when he’s abruptly and mysteriously deported from Russia, Moura is left alone and vulnerable. Now, she must find new paths for her survival, even if it means shedding her past and taking on new identities. Some will praise her tenderness and undying loyalty. Others will denounce her lies. But all will agree on one point: Moura embodies Life. Life at all cost. Set against the volatile landscape of 20th-century Russia, The Woman of a Thousand Names brings history to vivid life in a captivating tale about an extraordinary woman caught in the waves of change—with only her wits to save her.

THE TRANSFIXING TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN WHO DEFIED ALL ODDS TO CHOOSE HER OWN DESTINY"This life of the astonishing Belle Greene, the director of the Morgan Library who took the decision to "pass" as white in New York's Gilded Age, is a breathtaking and poignant work of social history."–Rebecca Fraser, author of Charlotte Brontë“Erudite, sharp, and worldly, she hid an incredible secret... The story told with panache by Alexandra Lapierre of one of the first women of the 20th century to have had the madness, and above all the courage, to choose her own destiny.”–ELLENew York in the 1900s. A young girl, fascinated by rare books, defies the odds and climbs all the ranks. She becomes the director of the fabulous library of the magnate J. P. Morgan and the darling of the international aristocracy, under the false name of Belle da Costa Greene. Belle Greene to close friends.But the flamboyant collector who turns heads and reigns over the world of bibliophiles hides a terrible secret for the violently racist America of her time. Although she looks white, she is actually African American and, moreover, the daughter of a famous black activist who sees her desire to hide her origins as a betrayal. It is this drama of a being torn between history and a woman’s choice to belong to the society which oppresses her people that Alexandra Lapierre recounts.The fruit of three years of investigation, this novel retraces the victories and heartbreaks of a woman full of life, as free as she is determined, whose astonishing daring echoes today's battles.

The first novel written about the enigmatic literary legendAustralia, 1901. Miles Franklin, the young daughter of poor bush farmers, manages to publish her first novel against all odds. A work of remarkable boldness and passion, it becomes an immense success in the English-speaking world. While she strives to maintain her anonymity under a male pseudonym, her identity is revealed and she is exposed to the misogynistic prejudices of her time. Alone and penniless, she sets sail for America where a life of service to the most vulnerable, and feminist causes awaits her. She forges countless friendships, experiences magnificent loves, and, through it all, nurtures her passion for writing and her ambition for literary success. Guided by her generosity and sense of humour, she embarks on numerous adventures across Europe before returning to her homeland. There, she will deliver a final blow to the critics who proclaimed that her wit and her genius had dried up.

From the internationally bestselling author of the “fascinating epic” (Associated Press) Between Love and Honor comes a rich, sweeping tale based on the captivating true story of the Mata Hari of Russia, featuring a beautiful aristocrat fighting for survival during the deadly upheaval of the Russian Revolution. Born into Russian aristocracy, wealth, and security, Moura never had any reason to worry. But in the upheaval of the Bolshevik Revolution, her entire world crumbles. As her family and friends are being persecuted by Vladimir Lenin’s ruthless police, she falls into a passionate affair with British secret agent Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. But when he’s abruptly and mysteriously deported from Russia, Moura is left alone and vulnerable. Now, she must find new paths for her survival, even if it means shedding her past and taking on new identities. Some will praise her tenderness and undying loyalty. Others will denounce her lies. But all will agree on one point: Moura embodies Life. Life at all cost. Set against the volatile landscape of 20th-century Russia, The Woman of a Thousand Names brings history to vivid life in a captivating tale about an extraordinary woman caught in the waves of change—with only her wits to save her.

A regeny egy fantasztikus no eletenek esemenyein, melysegein es magassagain vezet minket vegig. Akad benne diadal es bukas, szepseg es csufsag, mamor es fajdalom. Belle Greene mindig is rajongott a konyvekert, a konyvritkasagokert es sehol sem erezte magat olyan otthonosan, mint a konyvtarakban.Egy fuggetlen, fiatal, torekeny nonek egyaltalan nem volt konnyu dolga az 1900-as evek elejenek New Yorkjaban, de neki az elszantsaga es a kitartasa reven sikerult az attores. A konyvtar es a gyujtemeny, amelynek az elere kerult, nem mase volt, mint az akkori vilag egyik leggazdagabb emberee, J. P. Morgane. Belle ezzel belepett a korlatlan lehetosegek birodalmaba es egy csapasra a nemzetkozi mukincs-kereskedelem ismert es elismert alakjava valt, am e csodaszeru tortenetnek volt egy szepseghibaja. Belle nem az volt, akinek mondta magat, es a titok, amelyet a csaladjan kivul nem ismert senki, barmely pillanatban a vesztet okozhatta volna a korabeli melysegesen rasszista Amerikaban: bar fehernek latszott, valojaban afroamerikai volt, es raadasul egy olyan hires fekete polgarjogi aktivista volt az apja, akit melysegesen felhaboritott, hogy a lanya megtagadta a szarmazasat.Ez a konyv egy modern es fuggetlen no tortenete, akinek valasztania kellett, hogy mi a fontosabb a szamara: az osei es a hagyomanyai vagy az ervenyesules, az a tarsadalom, amely elnyomja a nepet, es - bar ez csak idovel valt nyilvanvalova - nem csupan meghozni volt nehez a dontest, a kovetkezmenyekkel valo szembenezes is kegyetlen probatetelt jelentett.