In Gods of Deception, acclaimed novelist David Adams Cleveland has created a thrilling tale of espionage, a family saga, a stirring love story, and a meditation on time and memory, taking you on an unforgettable journey into the troubled human heart as well as the past-a past that is ever present, where the gods of deception await our distant call.
David Adams Cleveland Knihy
Pre mňa písanie znamená viac než len rozprávanie skvelých príbehov; je to spôsob, ako skúmať to, na čom ako ľudské bytosti skutočne záleží. Moje postavy, rovnako ako my všetci, sa snažia objaviť nejakú pravdu, zodpovedať zásadnú otázku o sebe samých, keď čelia životným dilemám. Keďže som bol po väčšinu svojho života zapojený do umeleckého sveta ako historik, znalec a zberateľ, vizuálne umenie informuje moje písanie, či už z hľadiska opisu, fyzického prostredia – ktoré je vždy samo osebe postavou – alebo boja, ktorý umelci podstupujú, aby preskúmali svet z každého uhla. Skvelé umenie, rovnako ako skvelá literatúra, nesmie nikdy odhaliť všetky svoje tajomstvá: vždy musí zostať dostatok tajomna a nejednoznačnosti, aby zostalo svieže a živé. Najhlbšie umenie sa týka sprostredkovania pocitov a pocitu duchovnej cesty – letmého pohľadu na neviditeľné v extatickom srdci života. Existujeme pod kúzlo pamäte, naplnení premenlivou slávou vizuálneho sveta.
As Robert goes about his daily activities during April, he encounters an ever-increasing number of rabbits.
Common sense suggests that the "Leopardi Madonna," a masterpiece by Santi Raphael, cannot exist, as all credible sources indicate it was destroyed in 1945 during an Allied bombing of a Nazi art warehouse. However, the painting has mysteriously resurfaced in this gripping thriller that explores greed and betrayal within the art world. Renaissance scholar and art dealer Jordan Brooks is summoned to Venice to examine the painting, returning to a city that captivated him two decades earlier. He grapples with the possibility that a fake was destroyed while the authentic piece has reemerged, or that the original was lost and replaced with an exquisite counterfeit. As he navigates a secret auction offering the chance to bid on the Madonna, the story unfolds against Venice's autumn backdrop, where rain-swollen lagoons threaten the city's treasures. Jordan's journey leads him to his former teacher, Giorgio Sagredo, who has compromised his principles to sell the painting. He encounters a ruthless array of art dealers driven by profit, and fortuitously meets Katie, a perceptive American student who has a knack for uncovering the truth and appears when he needs her most.