Michael Finkel – författare

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*Could you leave behind all that you know and live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit - Christopher Knight. 'This was a breath-taking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and - by extension - for my own life'  Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm 'A wry meditation on one man's attempt to escape life's distractions and look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being'Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena and Ayesha's Gift'Not all heroes wear capes. My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight – a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off and live the life of a hermit' Lucy Mangan, Stylist  'An extraordinary story about solitude, community, identity and freedom' Guardian 'A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival. It is also, unexpectedly, a tribute to the joys of reading' The Wall Street Journal In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods.He would not speak to another human being until three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Christopher survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water in order to avoid freezing to death in his tent during the harsh Maine winters. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material and other provisions, taking only what he needed. In the process, he unwittingly terrified a community unable to solve the mysterious burglaries. Myths abounded amongst the locals eager to find this legendary hermit. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life and the challenges he faced returning to the world. The Stranger in the Woods is a riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude and what makes for a good life.Above all, this is a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live life his own way.

*#1 New York Times bestseller* *Shortlisted for The ALCS Gold Dagger Award for Non-Fiction*'A breath-taking read, as compelling as a Highsmith novel. I loved it' – Maggie O'Farrell'Brilliant… A thrilling heist caper along the lines of Ocean’s Eleven’ –Sunday Times‘Gripping' – Observer------------A spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, from the bestselling author of The Stranger in the Wood.For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years – in museums and cathedrals all over Europe – Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop – until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.This is a riveting true story of art, crime, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost. As a real page-turner that seems almost unbelievable in its twists and turns, The Art Thief explores the true story of the art collector who went to extreme lengths to expand his personal collection – and the thrill of the heist that kept him going.------------‘Thrilling’ – Economist'Enthralling' – The Wall Street Journal‘A thrilling read’ – The New YorkerA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Lit Hub

The true story of the world’s most prolific art thief, who accumulated a collection worth over $1.4 billion. A spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, from the bestselling author of The Stranger in the Wood.For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years - in museums and cathedrals all over Europe - Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in his home, where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop - until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.This is a riveting story of art, crime, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost. As a real page-turner that seems almost unbelievable in its twists and turns, The Art Thief explores the true story of the art collector who went to extreme lengths to expand his personal collection – and the thrill of the heist that kept him going.

Michael Finkel was a top New York Times Magazine journalist publicly fired and disgraced for making up a composite character for a big investigative news piece about Africa. This book is about how this brilliant, high achieving journalist found himself at that point in his life. But in parallel it's also about Christian Longo, a man accused of the multiple murder of his own wife and three children.After the deaths, Longo fled to Mexico, where he passed himself off as Michael Finkel, New York Times journalist. These two weird stories come together as Finkel in turn becomes fascinated (perhaps obsessed) with Longo the accused murderer, who while in prison and during his trial would talk only to Finkel. Who is using whom...?

For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.From the Hardcover edition.

*#1New York Times bestseller**Shortlisted for The ALCS Gold Dagger Award for Non-Fiction*A breath-taking read, as compelling as a Highsmith novel.I loved it Maggie OFarrell Brilliant A thrilling heist caper along the lines of Ocean''s Eleven'' Sunday Times'';Gripping Observer ------------Aspellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, from the bestselling author ofThe Stranger in the Wood. For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years in museums and cathedrals all over Europe Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. InThe Art Thief,Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser''s strange and fascinating world. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict''s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend''s pleas to stop until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down. This is a riveting true story of art, crime, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost. As a real page-turner that seems almost unbelievable in its twists and turns, TheArt Thief explores the true story of the art collector who went to extreme lengths to expand his personal collection and the thrill of the heist that kept him going. ------------'';Thrilling''EconomistEnthralling The Wall Street Journal'';A thrilling read'' The New YorkerA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Lit Hub

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* Could you leave behind all that you know and live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit - Christopher Knight.  'This was a breath-taking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and - by extension - for my own life'  Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm  'A wry meditation on one man's attempt to escape life's distractions and look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being' Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena and Ayesha's Gift 'Not all heroes wear capes. My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight – a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off and live the life of a hermit' Lucy Mangan, Stylist  'An extraordinary story about solitude, community, identity and freedom' Guardian  'A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival. It is also, unexpectedly, a tribute to the joys of reading' The Wall Street Journal In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods.He would not speak to another human being until three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Christopher survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water in order to avoid freezing to death in his tent during the harsh Maine winters. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material and other provisions, taking only what he needed. In the process, he unwittingly terrified a community unable to solve the mysterious burglaries. Myths abounded amongst the locals eager to find this legendary hermit.  Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life and the challenges he faced returning to the world. The Stranger in the Woods is a riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude and what makes for a good life.Above all, this is a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live life his own way. 

The true story of the world’s most prolific art thief, who accumulated a collection worth over $1.4 billion. A spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, from the bestselling author of The Stranger in the Wood. For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years - in museums and cathedrals all over Europe - Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in his home, where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop - until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down. This is a riveting story of art, crime, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost. As a real page-turner that seems almost unbelievable in its twists and turns, The Art Thief explores the true story of the art collector who went to extreme lengths to expand his personal collection – and the thrill of the heist that kept him going.

Michael Finkel was a top New York Times Magazine journalist publicly fired and disgraced for making up a composite character for a big investigative news piece about Africa. This book is about how this brilliant, high achieving journalist found himself at that point in his life. But in parallel it's also about Christian Longo, a man accused of the multiple murder of his own wife and three children.After the deaths, Longo fled to Mexico, where he passed himself off as Michael Finkel, New York Times journalist. These two weird stories come together as Finkel in turn becomes fascinated (perhaps obsessed) with Longo the accused murderer, who while in prison and during his trial would talk only to Finkel. Who is using whom...?

The transmission and distribution of electric power is based on complex interconnected power systems. Every interconnected system can split up into several subsystems due to faults, maloperation or targeted switching.The questions then arise whether these subsystems are survivable, and whether the size of these subsystems are random or predefined, and under which conditions can these isolated subsystems operate in a stable manner. Due to the energy transition, more renewable generation units are installed in the distribution grid, facilitating local intended isolated grids, but also increasing the probability of unintended isolated grids, which must be controlled and dealt with.Though the topic of islanding has been increasingly discussed in academia in recent years, this topic has not yet been comprehensively described in any specialist book.Intended and Unintended Islanding of Distribution Grids addresses this subject, providing a practical reference for researchers at universities and in industry, as well as at grid operators, involved with building, extending or maintaining electricity grids.Chapters cover basics and control of power system dynamics and stability, behaviour at grid connection points, power system restoration, protection, islanding detection, planning methods for secure islanding, modelling for distribution grid analysis in the time-domain, insular power systems, droop based practical examples, practical aspects of bottom-up grid restoration, and unintended islanded grids.

Advanced Tools and Models to Improve River Basin Management in Europe in the Context of Climate Change - AquaTerra has developed from an integrated project of the 6th EU RTD Framework Programme that aims to provide the scientific basis for an improved river basin management through a better understanding of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system as a whole, by integrating both natural and socio-economics aspects at different temporal and spatial scales. This book aims: To provide better understanding of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system at various temporal and spatial scales To relate expected climate alterations to changes in deposition, mobility and distribution of pollutants in European river basinsTo provide the scientific basis for improved river basin management  To introduce novel tools for water and soil quality monitoring  To show the necessity of integrated modelling frameworks for impact evaluation of pollution as well as climate and land-use changes for definition of long-term management schemes The work illustrates the dynamic behavior of the pathway of pollutants in soils, groundwater, surface water and sediments. It highlights the fundamental importance of integrating knowledge from several combined disciplines on various environmental compartments in order to understand the large number of processes that govern pollutant input, transport and turnover. Results shows that a significant step forward has been made in the development new analytical methods and of process-based numerical models that are capable of making predictions of likely trends and environmental changes to be expected in the near or distant future at the basin-scale. These models can be used e.g. to generate hydrologic scenarios based on climate models and to simulate pollutant distribution and turnover rates from decades to millennia.

Vetävä true crime -kirja kyltymättömästä kauneudenkaipuusta ja rikoksista, joissa keinoja ei kaihdeta. Kautta aikojen taidetta on varastettu lukemattomilla tavoilla, mutta kukaan ei ole ollut niin taitava kuin ranskalainen Stéphane Breitwieser. Kahdeksassa vuodessa hän teki yli kaksisataa ryöstöä ympäri Eurooppaa. Mikä ihmeellisintä, häikäilemätön varas toimi keskellä kirkasta päivää vartijoiden nenän edessä – kunnes lopulta kaikki meni kaamealla tavalla pieleen. Kiehtova kertomus vie syvälle mestarivarkaan outoon maailmaan. Breitwieser ei varastanut rahasta. Sen sijaan hän piti yli miljardin euron arvoista saalista makuuhuoneessaan, missä hän nautti taiteesta sydämensä kyllyydestä.