Laurent Binet

"As full of epic characters as the Sistine Chapel ceiling . . . Sinfully fun to read." --Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker" A] thorough success . . . A dazzling romp." --Steven Poole, The Guardian "Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this." --George Cochrane, The Telegraph (5/5 stars) One of Vulture's Best Books of 2025 (So Far) A pulse-quickening murder mystery set in Renaissance Florence by the renowned author of HHhH. As dawn breaks over the city of Florence on New Year's Day 1557, Jacopo da Pontormo is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him are the frescoes he labored over for more than a decade--masterpieces all, rivaling the works of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. When guards search his quarters, they find an obscene painting of Venus and Cupid--with the face of Venus replaced by that of Maria de' Medici, the Duke of Florence's oldest daughter. The city erupts in chaos. Who could have committed these crimes: murder and l se-majest ? Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation. Letters start to fly back and forth--between Maria and her aunt Catherine de' Medici, the queen of France; between Catherine and the scheming Piero Strozzi; and between Vasari and Michelangelo--carrying news of political plots and speculations about the identity of Pontormo's killer. The truth, when it comes to light, is as shocking as the bold new artworks that have made Florence the red-hot center of European art and intrigue. Bursting with characters and historical color, Laurent Binet's Perspective(s) is a whodunit like no other--a labyrinthine murder mystery that shows us Renaissance Florence as we've never seen it before. This is a dark, dazzling, unforgettable read.

Florence, New Year’s Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home, a hidden painting scandalously depicting Maria de Medici, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Florence, as a naked Venus. Who is the murderer? Who is behind the painting? As the city erupts in chaos, Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation. Letters fly back and forth carrying news of political plots and speculation about the killer’s identity – between Maria and her aunt Catherine de’ Medici, the queen of France; between Catherine and her scheming agents in Florence; and between Vasari and his friend Michelangelo. Meanwhile, the Pope is banning books and branding works of art immoral. And the truth, when it comes to light, is as shocking as the bold new artworks that have made Florence the red-hot centre of Europe. Bursting with characters and colour, Perspectives is a mystery like no other that shows us Renaissance Florence as we’ve never seen it before – a dazzling, hugely entertaining novel of court machinations, murder and art.

"Igra perspektiv/y" - zakhvatyvajuschij istoricheskij roman v pismakh. Seredina XVI v., Pozdnee Vozrozhdenie. Vo Florentsii, kolybeli Renessansa, ubit zhivopisets-manerist Jakopo Pontormo. Za rassledovanie prestuplenija beretsja Dzhordzho Vazari, khudozhnik, istorik i doverennoe litso gertsoga Florentijskogo Kozimo I. Mezhdu tem v dome Pontormo nakhodjat nepristojnuju kartinu, na kotoroj izobrazhena doch gertsoga - junaja Marija Medichi, i eto grozit grandioznym skandalom pravjaschemu semejstvu. Dejstvie romana proiskhodit na fone sloma epokh: vospevanie chelovecheskogo dukha i prirody smenjaetsja esteticheskim i idejnym konservatizmom. Politicheskie intrigi, inkvizitsija, zagovory - v etoj nespokojnoj atmosfere personazhi Bine pishut uvlekatelnyj, proniknovennyj i poroj ironichnyj rasskaz o vlasti, tvorchestve i ljubvi.

"As full of epic characters as the Sistine Chapel ceiling . . . Sinfully fun to read." --Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker" A] thorough success . . . A dazzling romp." --Steven Poole, The Guardian "Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this." --George Cochrane, The Telegraph (5/5 stars) One of Vulture's Best Books of 2025 (So Far) A pulse-quickening murder mystery set in Renaissance Florence by the renowned author of HHhH. As dawn breaks over the city of Florence on New Year's Day 1557, Jacopo da Pontormo is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him are the frescoes he labored over for more than a decade--masterpieces all, rivaling the works of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. When guards search his quarters, they find an obscene painting of Venus and Cupid--with the face of Venus replaced by that of Maria de' Medici, the Duke of Florence's oldest daughter. The city erupts in chaos. Who could have committed these crimes: murder and l se-majest ? Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation. Letters start to fly back and forth--between Maria and her aunt Catherine de' Medici, the queen of France; between Catherine and the scheming Piero Strozzi; and between Vasari and Michelangelo--carrying news of political plots and speculations about the identity of Pontormo's killer. The truth, when it comes to light, is as shocking as the bold new artworks that have made Florence the red-hot center of European art and intrigue. Bursting with characters and historical color, Laurent Binet's Perspective(s) is a whodunit like no other--a labyrinthine murder mystery that shows us Renaissance Florence as we've never seen it before. This is a dark, dazzling, unforgettable read.

Florence, New Year’s Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home, a hidden painting scandalously depicting Maria de Medici, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Florence, as a naked Venus. Who is the murderer? Who is behind the painting? As the city erupts in chaos, Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation. Letters fly back and forth carrying news of political plots and speculation about the killer’s identity – between Maria and her aunt Catherine de’ Medici, the queen of France; between Catherine and her scheming agents in Florence; and between Vasari and his friend Michelangelo. Meanwhile, the Pope is banning books and branding works of art immoral. And the truth, when it comes to light, is as shocking as the bold new artworks that have made Florence the red-hot centre of Europe. Bursting with characters and colour, Perspectives is a mystery like no other that shows us Renaissance Florence as we’ve never seen it before – a dazzling, hugely entertaining novel of court machinations, murder and art.

Florence, New Year's Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home, a hidden painting scandalously depicting Maria de Medici, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Florence, as a naked Venus. Who is the murderer? Who is behind the painting? As the city erupts in chaos, Giorgio Vasari, the great art historian, is picked to lead the investigation. Letters fly back and forth carrying news of political plots and speculation about the killer's identity - between Maria and her aunt Catherine de' Medici, the queen of France; between Catherine and her scheming agents in Florence; and between Vasari and his friend Michelangelo. Meanwhile, the Pope is banning books and branding works of art immoral. And the truth, when it comes to light, is as shocking as the bold new artworks that have made Florence the red-hot centre of Europe. Bursting with characters and colour, Perspectives is a mystery like no other that shows us Renaissance Florence as we've never seen it before - a dazzling, hugely entertaining novel of court machinations, murder and art.

Den franske essayist og semiolog Roland Barthes bliver i 1980 kørt ned af en varebil i Paris og udånder kort tid efter på hospitalet. Men var det bare en ulykke? Blev han i virkeligheden slået ihjel og i så fald af hvem? Barthes bar på en mappe, hvor der nu mangler et vigtigt dokument. Om den syvende sprogfunktion. En lingvistisk trylleformular med uanede muligheder for den, der behersker den. Dokumentet må findes. Den umage duo, inspektør Bayard, konservativ og pligtopfyldende, og den unge nysgerrige akademiker og lingvist Simon Herzog, bliver sat på opgaven af selveste præsident Giscard d'Estaing. Forfatteren leger med forholdet mellem virkelighed og fiktion og tegner et billede af de franske mestertænkere fra det sproglige og litterære mikrokosmos i Paris i 70'erne og 80’erne med bulgarske agenter, hemmelige sprogselskaber, bøssesaunaer, et præsidentvalg og international storpolitik som bagtæppe. Binet dissekerer elegant sprogets, ordenes og tekstens magt.

An ambitious and highly entertaining novel of revisionist history from the author of the international bestseller HHhH, Laurent Binet's Civilizations is nothing less than a strangely believable counterfactual history of the modern world, fizzing with ideas about colonization, empire building, and the eternal human quest for domination. It is an electrifying novel by one of Europe's most exciting writers. C. 1000 CE: Erik the Red's daughter heads south from Greenland1492: Columbus does not discover America1531: The Incas invade Europe Freydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them . . . Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even after he is captured by the Ta nos, his faith in his superiority and his mission is unshaken. Thirty-nine years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in Europe. What does he find? The Spanish Inquisition, the Reformation, capitalism, the miracle of the printing press, endless warmongering between the ruling monarchies, and constant threat from the Turks. But most of all, downtrodden populations ready for revolution. Fortunately, he has a recent guidebook to acquiring power--Machiavelli's The Prince. It turns out he is very good at it. So, the stage is set for a Europe ruled by Incas and for a great war that will change history forever.

It's world history. But not as we know it.c.1000AD: Erik the Red's daughter heads south from Greenland1492: Columbus does not discover America1531: the Incas invade EuropeFreydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them. Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even when captured, his faith in his mission is unshaken. Thirty years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in a Europe ready for revolution. Fortunately, he has a recent guidebook to acquiring power - Machiavelli's The Prince. So, the stage is set for a Europe ruled by Incas and, when the Aztecs arrive on the scene, for a great war that will change history forever.'Binet's best book yet: the work of a major writer just hitting his stride. A delightful counterfactual novel' ***** - Daily Telegraph

Binets tredje roman – efter succén med den intellektuella thrillern Språkets sjunde funktion – är en våghalsig lek med världshistorien. Tänk om Columbus inte hade kommit tillbaka tomhänt från Amerika och om inkakungen Atahualpa istället hade erövrat Europa? Vilka konsekvenser skulle det få för kristendomen, de europeiska kungahusen, ja, hela den europeiska civilisationen? Förankrad i materiella grunder, lika underhållande som tankemässigt utmanande, fjärmar sig romanen från alla föreställningar om grundläggande skillnader mellan kulturer.

Hva om Columbus ikke hadde returnert fra Amerika og inkaene i stedet hadde erobret Europa? Hva ville konsekvensen vært for kristendommen, de europeiske kongehusene, ja hele den europeiske sivilisasjonen? I denne boken snur Laurent Binet opp ned på viktige deler av verdensbegivenhetene og byr på en festlig, smart og ellevill lek med historien:Frøydis Eiriksdatter legger ut på tokt mot Vinland, men bestemmer seg for å dra enda lenger sør med sitt store vikingfølge. Dermed er det en annen sivilisasjon Christofer Columbus treffer i 1492, og han lider store nederlag på sin oppdagerferd. Deretter reiser inkaene østover, til et land der befolkningen ser ut til å tilbe en gud som er spikret opp på et kors. Inkaene erobrer mer og mer land i Europa og innfører sin egen religion, sine egne ideologier og skikker. Dette får enorme følger for utviklingen i Europa, for den europeiske identiteten og for enkeltmennesker som Henrik den åttende, Martin Luther og Miguel de Cervantes. Sivilisasjoner er en fascinerende, fantasifull «hva hvis»-lek med historien og med litterære sjangre. Binet spiller på sagalitteraturen, helteeposet og middelalderromanen, og viser oss hvor tilfeldig verdenshistorien tross alt er. For denne boken ble han belønnet med den prestisjetunge Grand prix du Roman de l'Académie française i 2019.«Forfatteren skaper en pastisj av sagalitteratur, annaler, skipsjournaler – han morer seg, og vi med ham. Selve historien blir en donqujiotisk drøm av fortellinger, et flokete nett av fiksjoner. I litteraturen er det aldri ‘game over’, man begynner bare på nytt: visker ut, spiller igjen – og får en dypt fengende roman.» Livres hebdo«Dette er en av de mest ambisiøse romanene denne bokhøsten : intelligent, skarp, moderne. Og for en fantastisk leseropplevelse!» Historia«Virtuost. Spekket med referanser.» L’Humanité«Tankevekkende.» Le journal du Dimanche«Briljant.» Le Nouveau Magazine Littéraire«… en refleksjon over vår fortid, et nytt blikk på vår sivilisasjon, på en annen mulig verden. En meditasjon over historien, like morsom som den er inspirerende. » Arts Libre«en roman som herjer voldsomt og elegant med historien og skaper noe rart, festlig og troverdig» Le Figaro