New Releases by Simon Sebag Montefiore

An essential guide to the making of the modern Middle East from 1900 to the present: a spellbinding history by the New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem and The Romanovs Renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wades into the ideological battles and geopolitical tensions of the Middle East with a comprehensive and nuanced chronicle that situates the region in the context of its last one hundred and twenty-five years. Few understand the real history of the Middle East; fewer still understand its variety and cosmopolitanism, its complexity and interconnectedness. The Cauldron is a fresh and unique survey of the region in all its diversity. Taking the reader on a spectacular journey from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency, from Morocco to Iran, this is a dazzling panorama of faith and fanaticism, creativity and tolerance, dictatorship and democracy brought to life by an extraordinary cast of kings, warriors, poets, terrorists, and peacemakers. With his signature style of voice-driven history that made Jerusalem a national bestseller, Montefiore reveals a stunning portrait of the world we have inherited and interrogates the prevailing historical narratives. This is the essential story of how the Middle East of 1900 led to the Middle East of today—and tomorrow.

Jerusalem is unique: the capital of two peoples and the shrine of three faiths. A cast of extraordinary characters have played a part in the city's history, including King David, Cyrus the Great, Cleopatra, the Maccabees, Julius Caesar, Herod the Great, Queen Melisende, Saladin, Suleiman the Magnificent, Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Churchill, Ben-Gurion and Arafat. Many have claimed Jerusalem belongs only to them, but its stories belong to many. In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore tells thirty of the most remarkable stories in the city's 3,000-year history. By explaining the Middle East's political, religious and ethnic divisions, from 1000 BCE to 2000, the book becomes an essential guide to understanding today's world. Based on the seminal classic Jerusalem: A Biography, and vividly brought to life by illustrators Rui Ricardo and Catherine Rowe.

Simon Sebag Montefiore raccoglie in questo volume decine di lettere che hanno fatto la storia, scritte dai personaggi più diversi in una moltitudine di occasioni, dall'epoca antica fino ai giorni nostri. Da Ramsete a Napoleone, da Leonard Cohen a Voltaire, passando per artisti, condottieri, brillanti menti scientifiche, re e regine, attraverso i secoli tutti hanno affidato alla carta i loro appelli accorati, le riflessioni più intime, le passioni infuocate che ne hanno ispirato l'azione e l'opera, sia con messaggi destinati a una circolazione pubblica, sia tramite comunicazioni segrete. Ma che siano poeti o imperatori, che dichiarino il loro amore o la guerra, le loro parole riecheggiano cariche di significati fino a noi, gettando luce sulle mille sfaccettature dell'animo umano e su importanti eventi nel cammino dell'umanità.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A magisterial world history unlike any other that tells the story of humanity through the one thing we all have in common: families • From the author of The Romanovs A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, Smithsonian “Succession meets Game of Thrones.” —The Spectator • “The author brings his cast of dynastic titans, rogues and psychopaths to life...An epic that both entertains and informs.” —The Economist, Best Books of the Year Around 950,000 years ago, a family of five walked along the beach and left behind the oldest family footprints ever discovered. For award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, these poignant, familiar fossils serve as an inspiration for a new kind of world history, one that is genuinely global, spans all eras and all continents, and focuses on the family ties that connect every one of us. In this epic, ever-surprising book, Montefiore chronicles the world’s great dynasties across human history through palace intrigues, love affairs, and family lives, linking grand themes of war, migration, plague, religion, and technology to the people at the heart of the human drama. It features a cast of extraordinary diversity: in addition to rulers and conquerors, there are priests, charlatans, artists, scientists, tycoons, gangsters, lovers, husbands, wives, and children. There is Hongwu, the beggar who founded the Ming dynasty; Ewuare, the Leopard-King of Benin; Henry Christophe, King of Haiti; Kamehameha, the conqueror of Hawaii; Zenobia, the Arab empress who defied Rome; Lady Murasaki, the first female novelist; Sayyida al-Hurra, the Moroccan pirate-queen. Here too are moderns such as Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky. Here are the Caesars, Medicis and Incas, Ottomans and Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs and Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers and Krupps, Churchills, Kennedys, Castros, Nehrus, Pahlavis and Kenyattas, Saudis, Kims and Assads. These powerful families represent the breadth of human endeavor, with bloody succession battles, treacherous conspiracies, and shocking megalomania alongside flourishing culture, moving romances, and enlightened benevolence. A dazzling achievement as spellbinding as fiction, The World captures the whole human story in a single, masterful narrative.

Romanovii au fost dinastia cea mai spectaculoasă din vremurile moderne. Cu un palmares uluitor, ei au reușit să domnească peste o șesime din suprafața pământului. Cum a reușit o familie să transforme un principat ruinat de războaie în cel mai mare imperiu al lumii? Și cum l-a pierdut apoi? Aceasta este istoria intimă a douăzeci de țari și țarine, unii atinși de geniu, alții de nebunie, dar toți inspirați de credința într-o autocrație divină și animați de ambiție imperială. Pasionanta cronică realizată de Montefiore dezvăluie lumea lor secretă, o lume a puterii neîngrădite și a edificării fără scrupule a unui imperiu grandios, dar umbrită de intrigi de palat, rivalități de familie, decadență sexuală și extravaganță feroce, și populată de o întreagă distribuție de aventurieri, curtezani, revoluționari și poeți, de la Ivan cel Groaznic la Tolstoi, și de la regina Victoria la Lenin. Scrisă cu un remarcabil talent literar și îmbogățită cu noi și aprofundate cercetări de arhivă, Romanovii este deopotrivă o captivantă poveste despre triumf și tragedie, iubire și moarte, un studiu universal despre putere și un portret esențial al imperiului care continuă să definească Rusia și astăzi. „O istorie epică de mare anvergură… O poveste cu lovituri de stat, conspirații, asasinate, torturi, trageri în țeapă, trageri pe roată, flagelări letale cu cnuturi, sex și băutură în exces, șarlatani și impostori, o bogăție orbitoare construită pe o înrobire nemiloasă și, deloc surprinzător, un cerc vicios de represiuni și revolte… Citind excelenta relatare a lui Montefiore, este greu de imaginat cum monarhia a reușit să supraviețuiască sub conducerea lor catastrofală…" – Antony Beevor, Financial Times „Fascinantă… ai nevoie să fii înarmat cu o autentică temeritate istorică pentru a aborda un subiect atât de vast… Harul de romancier al lui Montefiore în a contura personaje pline de viață în doar câteva cuvinte nu îl părăsește o clipă… Portretele eroilor principali sunt, fără excepție, memorabile… Această lucrare monumentală este o achiziție esențială pentru biblioteca oricui este interesat de istoria Rusiei și de tragica dinastie a Romanovilor." – Olga Grushin, The New York Times Book Review

O remarcabilă antologie ce reunește scrisori celebre într-un impresionant arc de timp care străbate vremurile, purtându-ne din Antichitate până în vremurile noastre și vorbindu-ne despre putere, iubire, creație, sex, credință și război Pecetluite în istorie este un autentic omagiu adus genului epistolar, oferind cele mai faimoase scrisori care au marcat istoria lumii, cultura universală și viața intimă a unor personaje ilustre. Reputatul istoric Simon Sebag Montefiore a realizat o selecție de peste o sută de epistole, din care unele sunt pline de noblețe și înălțătoare, altele detestabile și tulburătoare, unele se constituie în adevărate capodopere literare, altele sunt brutale, dure și șocante; multe sunt erotice, altele sfâșietoare. În bine cunoscutul său stil antrenant de talentat narator, Montefiore ne arată de ce aceste scrisori sunt o lectură indispensabilă: cum ele ne descifrează trecutul, ne îmbogățesc viața de azi și ne luminează ziua de mâine. „Captivantă și revelatoare… Unele [scrisori] sunt cu adevărat revoluționare și vizionare… Altele sunt foarte personale… dar toate sunt fascinante, așa cum sunt și comentariile editorului dedicate fiecărei scrisori în parte, mici bijuterii… de sine stătătoare." – Daily Mail (Cărțile de istorie ale anului) Semnatarii scrisorilor cuprinse în volumul de față sunt personalități dintre cele mai diferite – de la Elisabeta I și Ecaterina cea Mare la Mandela, Stalin și Picasso, de la Oscar Wilde, Cehov și Pușkin la Balzac, Mozart și Michelangelo, de la Hitler, Ramses cel Mare și Alexander Hamilton la Augustus, Churchill, Lincoln, Donald Trump și Soliman Magnificul, nelipsind din tablou nici chiar persoane anonime aflate în împrejurări extraordinare. Tematic, ele acoperă o plajă vastă – de la scrisori de dragoste la îndemnuri la libertate, de la declarații de război la meditații asupra morții. Un florilegiu de neratat pentru împătimiții de istorie și literatură deopotrivă. Simon Sebag Montefiore este autorul mai multor cărți încununate cu premii și devenite bestselleruri internaționale, fiind publicate în 48 de limbi. Ecaterina cea Mare și Potemkin a fost finalistă la premiul Samuel Johnson; Stalin: Curtea Țarului Roșu a câștigat Premiul BBA pentru Cartea de Istorie a Anului; Tânărul Stalin a primit Premiul Costa pentru Biografie, premiul LA Times pentru Biografie și Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique; Ierusalim: Biografia unui oraș a câștigat Premiul JBC pentru Cartea de Istorie a Anului și Premiul Wenjin în China; Romanovii: 1613-1918 a fost distins cu Premiul Lupicaia del Terriccio. Montefiore este totodată autorul Trilogiei Moscova: Sașenka, Cerul roșu al amiezii și Într-o noapte de iarnă, care a căștigat Premiul pentru Cartea de Ficțiune Politică a Anului, și (împreună cu Santa Montefiore) al romanelor pentru copii Ordinul iepurilor regali din Londra, Evadarea din turn și Goana după diamant. Mai este autorul volumului Discursuri care au schimbat lumea.

Een keizerlijke liefdesaffaire die Rusland én de wereld veranderde 'Aan de hand van de liefde tussen Catharina de Grote en veldmaarschalk Potjomkin laat Simon Sebag Montefiore zien hoe Rusland in Oekraïne de basis legde voor zijn imperium.' •••• NRC Catharina de Grote staat bekend als een van de meest invloedrijke vrouwen uit de geschiedenis. Gedurende haar tsaristische regime (1762-1796) transformeerde ze Rusland tot een machtig rijk door onder andere Oekraïne en de Krim te veroveren, waarmee de basis werd gelegd voor het moderne Rusland. Belangrijke spil hierin was prins Grigori Potjomkin, medeheerser en tevens haar voornaamste minnaar. In dit indrukwekkende boek vertelt Simon Sebag Montefiore het verhaal van hun vurige maar ook tumultueuze liefdesaffaire. Op basis van de intieme brieven van Catharina en Potjomkin en diepgaand onderzoek reconstrueert Montefiore zowel de persoonlijke als de politieke kanten van hun relatie – een affaire die de wereld voorgoed zou veranderen. De pers over Catharina de Grote en Potjomkin: 'Het is een betoverend verhaal, en Simon Sebag Montefiore vertelt het vol verve.' The Times 'Een van de grootse liefdesverhalen uit de geschiedenis in het rijtje Napoleon en Joséphine en Marcus Antonius en Cleopatra. [...] Voortreffelijk.' The Economist 'Een schoolvoorbeeld van hoe je een pageturner maakt van diepgaand wetenschappelijk onderzoek.' New Statesman

A celebration of the great speeches of world history and cultural life. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL In this exuberant collection, acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore takes us on a journey from ancient times to the twenty-first century. Some speeches are heroic and inspiring; some diabolical and atrocious. Some are exquisite and poignant; others cruel and chilling. The speakers themselves vary from empresses and conquerors to rock stars, novelists and sportsmen, dreamers and killers, from Churchill and Elizabeth I to Stalin and Genghis Khan, and from Michelle Obama and Cleopatra to Ronald Reagan, Nehru, and Muhammad Ali. All human drama is here: from the carnage of battlefields to the theatre of courtrooms, from table talk to audiences of millions, from desperate last stands to orations of triumph, from noble calls for liberation to genocidal rants, from foolish delusions and strange confessions to defiant resistance and heartbreaking farewells. Voices of History spans centuries, continents, and cultures. In the accessible and gripping style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these seventy speeches are essential reading and how they enlighten our past, enrich our present, and inspire--as well as hold warnings for--our future.

Szentpétervár, 1916. Oroszország a forradalom küszöbén áll. Miközben Ariadna grófné Raszputyinnal és züllött barátaival mulatozik, lázadó kamaszlánya, Szásenyka a bolsevikok ügynökének áll. Moszkva, 1939. Szásenyka és nagy hatalmú férje a kommunista pártelit tagja, ám Sztálin országában semmit sem jelentenek a jó összeköttetések és a párthûség. Barátaik egymás után tûnnek el, a két kisgyermeket nevelõ gyönyörû asszony pedig titkos viszonyba kezd - végzetes következményekkel. Fél évszázaddal késõbb Roza, egy Londonban élõ orosz oligarcha anyja egy fiatal történészt bíz meg azzal, hogy kutassa fel, mi lett a családjával, amelytõl a sztálini rémuralom idején szakadt el. A titkosított iratokból döbbenetes dolgok derülnek ki. Simon Sebag Montefiore, az újkori orosz történelem egyik legelismertebb szakértõje lenyûgözõ hitelességgel és részletgazdagsággal kelti életre a cári Oroszország végnapjait és a sztálini terror legsötétebb óráit a világszerte óriási sikert aratott Moszkva-trilógiájának elsõ részében. „Montefiore az orosz történelem avatott ismerõje, ám elképesztõ tudása nem tolakodik elõtérbe, hanem a mû szövetébe simul. Szásenyka dicsõséggel és tragédiával teli története hosszú ideig velünk marad a regény elolvasása után.” (Thomas Keneally, a Schindler listája szerzõje)

''Packed with fun, fantasy and the sort of adventure guaranteed to have sticky little fingers hungrily turning the pages'' The Mail on Sunday ''The Royal Rabbits of London is sweet, funny and beautifully illustrated'' The Times The adventure continues for Shylo and his Royal Rabbit friends in this charming series from bestselling authors Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore and illustrator Kate Hindley, which shows that even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero. Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible - by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet noise and a slice of mad courage! Now that Shylo is a Royal Rabbit, his life is full of adventure and new friends, but he still misses his mother and family. So he jumps at the chance to visit his home warren! As soon as Shylo arrives he finds something strange and dark going on. A mysterious bunny called Harlequin is on the farm, attracting many followers with his crazy singing and loopy dancing. But Harlequin is also digging for the Golden Carrot, which, says an ancient legend, will give him power over over all humans and animals. Harlequin believes it''s buried somewhere on the farm. Then as more followers flock to the warren, Shylo wonders if the hunt for the Golden Carrot is a fun game or if Harlequin is plotting world domination... And when the quest turns deadly, Shylo calls in the Royal Rabbits. Can they stop power-mad Harlequin? And who will find the Carrot first?

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanovs—and one of our pre-eminent historians and a prizewinning writer—an outstanding selection of great letters from ancient times to the 21st century, touching on power, love, art, sex, faith, and war. Written in History: Letters that Changed the World celebrates the great letters of world history, and cultural and personal life. Bestselling, prizewinning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects letters that have changed the course of global events or touched a timeless emotion—whether passion, rage, humor—from ancient times to the twenty-first century. Some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling, some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse, and frankly outrageous, many are erotic, others heartbreaking. It is a surprising and eclectic selection, from the four corners of the world, filled with extraordinary women and men, from ancient times to now. Truly a choice of letters for our own times encompassing love letters to calls for liberation to declarations of war to reflections on life and death. The writers vary from Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great to Mandela, Stalin and Picasso, Fanny Burney and Emily Pankhurst to Ada Lovelace and Rosa Parks, Oscar Wilde, Chekhov and Pushkin to Balzac, Mozart and Michelangelo, Hitler, Rameses the Great and Alexander Hamilton to Augustus and Churchill, Lincoln, Donald Trump and Suleiman the Magnificent. In a book that is a perfect gift, here is a window on astonishing characters, seminal events, and unforgettable words. In the colorful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading and how they can unveil and enlighten the past—and enrich the way we live now.

Escrito en la historia conmemora las mayores y más importantes cartas del panorama político, cultural, artístico, o de la vida privada de aquellos personajes célebres que influyeron en el devenir de nuestra historia. El aclamado historiador Simon Sebag Montefiore ha seleccionado más de cien cartas que van desde la Antigüedad, como la que dirigió Marco Antonio a Octavio Augusto en el año 33 a. C.; hasta nuestro siglo, como la de Donald J. Trump a Kim Jong-Un en mayo de 2018. Sus autores varían desde Isabel I de Inglaterra, Ramsés II, Frida Kahlo y Leonard Cohen, hasta Nelson Mandela, Stalin, Michelangelo o personajes anónimos que vivieron circunstancias extraordinarias. Cartas de amor, gritos a la libertad, declaraciones de guerra y reflexiones sobre la muerte que Montefiore, un maestro de contar historias, nos acerca, con su característico estilo fresco y accesible. Porque estas cartas que ilustran nuestro pasado, enriquecen el modo en que vivimos hoy e iluminan nuestro futuro, son una lectura necesaria.

''Packed with fun, fantasy and the sort of adventure guaranteed to have sticky little fingers hungrily turning the pages'' The Mail on Sunday ''The Royal Rabbits of London is sweet, funny and beautifully illustrated'' The Times The adventure continues for Shylo and his Royal Rabbit friends in this charming series from bestselling authors Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore and illustrator Kate Hindley, which shows that even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero. Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible - by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet noise and a slice of mad courage! Now that Shylo is a Royal Rabbit, his life is full of adventure and new friends, but he still misses his mother and family. So he jumps at the chance to visit his home warren! As soon as Shylo arrives he finds something strange and dark going on. A mysterious bunny called Harlequin is on the farm, attracting many followers with his crazy singing and loopy dancing. But Harlequin is also digging for the Golden Carrot, which, says an ancient legend, will give him power over over all humans and animals. Harlequin believes it''s buried somewhere on the farm. Then as more followers flock to the warren, Shylo wonders if the hunt for the Golden Carrot is a fun game or if Harlequin is plotting world domination... And when the quest turns deadly, Shylo calls in the Royal Rabbits. Can they stop power-mad Harlequin? And who will find the Carrot first?

'Packed with fun, fantasy and the sort of adventure guaranteed to have sticky little fingers hungrily turning the pages' The Mail on Sunday 'The Royal Rabbits of London is sweet, funny and beautifully illustrated' The Times 'Enchanting....Kate Hindley's illustrations are a treat' The Lady Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible - by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose and a slice of mad courage! The biggest, most beautiful diamond in the whole world has been stolen from Buckingham Palace! Nobody knows how the sneaky thief managed to take the Siberian Diamond from right under the Queen's nose - but Shylo and the brave Royal Rabbits of London will do whatever it takes to solve the case and return the jewel to its rightful place. Then they discover that Russia's elite sharp-toothed secret-agent minks are in London, could they have anything to do with the theft...? But nothing is quite what it seems, and the Royal Rabbits soon realise they might need a bit of help from an old friend to solve this mystery... The Hobbit meets Fantastic Mr Fox meets Watership Down in this bestselling series from Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore, which proves even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero. Featuring illustrations throughout by award-winning illustrator Kate Hindley.

Imprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis. He enrolls in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a suicide mission behind enemy lines—but is there a traitor among them? The only thing Benya can truly trust is his horse, Silver Socks, and that he will find no mercy in onslaught of Hitler’s troops as they push East.Spanning ten epic days, between Benya’s war on the grasslands of southern Russia and Stalin’s intrigues in the Kremlin, between Benya’s intense affair with an Italian nurse and a romance between Stalin’s daughter and a war correspondent, this is a sweeping story of passion, bravery, and survival—where betrayal is a constant companion, death just a heartbeat away, and love, however fleeting, offers a glimmer of redemption.

Savuroasă, amuzantă și minunat ilustrată! The Times Viața e o aventură. Orice e posibil – cu voință și noroc, cu un morcov proaspăt, un nas umed și un dram de curaj nebun! Shylo a fost mereu cel mai firav și mai tăcut dintre toți frățiorii lui, care n-au scăpat nicio ocazie de a râde de el. Dar atunci când dă peste o bandă de șobolani și aude din întâmplare despre un complot diabolic împotriva Reginei, va fi datoria lui să-i găsească pe Iepurii Regali din Londra, ca să-l ajute să salveze situația. Va putea oare cel mai mic dintre iepurași să se dovedească a fi cel mai mare dintre eroi?​

NEW EDITION - FEATURING UPDATED INTRODUCTION AND NEW CHAPTERS The giant characters of history - from Mozart to Michelangelo, Shakespeare to Einstein, Henry VIII to Hitler, Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher, Jesus Christ to Genghis Khan - lived lives of astonishing drama and adventure, debauchery and slaughter, but they also formed our world and will shape our future. In this eclectic and surprising collection of short and entertaining life stories, Simon Sebag Montefiore introduces his choice of kings, empresses, sultans and conquerors, as well as prophets, explorers, artists, actresses, courtesans and psychopaths. From the ancient times, via crusades and world wars, up to the 21st century, this accessible history introduces readers to the titans who changed the world: the characters we should all know, and the stories we should never forget.

"The truly magnetic power" of this thriller is "the stirring of our deepest fears and their unexpected resolution—at this, Montefiore is the master" ( Washington Post). Inspired by a true story, prize–winning historian and acclaimed novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the consequences of forbidden love in this heartbreaking epic that unfolds in Stalin''s Moscow. As Soviet Russia celebrates the motherland''s glorious victory over the Nazis, shots ring out on the crowded streets. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl lie dead. But this is no ordinary tragedy, because these are no ordinary teenagers. As the son and daughter of high-ranking Soviet officials, they attend the most elite school in Moscow. Was it an accident, or murder? Is it a conspiracy against Stalin, or one of his own terrifying intrigues? On Stalin''s instructions, a ruthless investigation begins that becomes known as the Children''s Case. Youth across the city are arrested and forced to testify against their friends and their parents. As families are ripped apart, secrets come spilling out. Trapped at the center of this witch-hunt are two pairs of illicit lovers, who learn that matters of the heart exact a terrible price. By turns a darkly sophisticated political thriller, a rich historical saga, and a deeply human love story, Montefiore''s masterful novel powerfully portrays the terror and drama of Stalin''s Russia. "In a league of its own." — Wall Street Journal "A darkly enjoyable read." — The Guardian, London "Gripping." —Steve Emmett, New York Journal of Books "A kind of Virgin Suicides for the Soviet set, speaking to much that''s dark in the human soul—but to what can redeem it, too." — Kirkus Reviews

Simon Sebag Montefiore, one of our most popular historians, and also presenter of BBC television series on Istanbul, Rome and Jerusalem, selects the essential cast of dramatic characters who built, destroyed or changed the three great Holy Cities. The creators of Istanbul: from the murderous visionary Constantine the Great to the ultimate power couple, Justinian and his burlesque-dancer-turned-empress Theodora, to Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxelana, all the way to Ataturk. In Jerusalem: from Herod the Great, who killed his beloved wife and three sons, to the great Crusader queen Melisende and the Arab conqueror Saladin. In Rome, from psychotic Caligula and the philosopher Marcus Aurelius to the megalomanical seductress Marozia, the Borgias and Mussolini. These are stories and characters that everyone should know and no one should forget.

Moskou, 1945. In de straten vieren de Russen hun overwinning op de nazi’s. Uit het rumoer klinken plotseling pistoolschoten. Twee tieners, beide in een negentiende-eeuws kostuum, worden geraakt en sterven te midden van de feestvierende menigte. Het blijken kinderen van hooggeplaatste Sovjetleiders te zijn, en leerlingen van School 801, dé Moskouse eliteschool. Is het moord? Een zelfmoord? Een driehoeksverhouding? Een samenzwering tegen Stalin zelf, of een van zijn eigen meedogenloze intriges? Op Stalins bevel worden alle kinderen van een aantal vooraanstaande families gearresteerd en verhoord. Dit huiveringwekkende onderzoek drijft gezinnen uiteen en zorgt ervoor dat ouders en kinderen lijnrecht tegenover elkaar komen te staan. Dan komen er twee geheime liefdesaffaires aan het licht die het leven van alle betrokkenen in gevaar brengen. Serafima is een hartverscheurend en onvergetelijk verhaal over liefde, huwelijk, overspel en familie tegen de achtergrond van de turbulente Russische geschiedenis.

PASSION ET POUVOIR À LA COUR DE RUSSIE. La Grande Catherine, impératrice de toutes les Russies, est une femme connue pour sa fougue, son génie politique et son charme fascinant. Elle gouverne aux côtés de l’homme de sa vie, le prince Potemkine. Ce nobliau de province haut en couleurs, aussi fantasque que génial, s’impose d’année en année comme le véritable corégent de cette autocrate implacable et brillante, et devient l’époux clandestin de l’impératrice et son plus fidèle ami, contribuant à faire de la Russie une grande puissance. Dans ce livre tourbillonnant, écrit à partir d’archives inédites ou méconnues et s’appuyant largement sur la correspondance du couple, Simon Sebag Montefiore nous entraîne dans l’effervescence des fêtes de cour, des secrets de diplomates et des intrigues de palais. Il raconte enfin les amours licites et illicites entre les grands de l’entourage de Catherine II, et celles de l’impératrice elle-même, qui malgré ses nombreux favoris, ne cessa jamais d’aimer Potemkine.

FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED FOR 2024 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL BOOK OF THE YEAR "Spectacular. [Montefiore] really tells you what the life of the city has been like and why it means so much. You fall in love with the city. It’s a treasure. It’s a wonderful book." —Bill Clinton "Impossible to put down. . . . Vastly enjoyable." —The New York Times Book Review The history of Jerusalem is the story of the world: Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths. The Holy City and Holy Land are the battlefields for today’s multifaceted conflicts and, for believers, the setting for Judgment Day and the Apocalypse. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the “center of the world” and now the key to peace in the Middle East? Why is the Holy Land so important not just to the region and its many new players, but to the wider world too? Drawing on new archives and a lifetime’s study, Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city and turbulent region through the wars, love affairs and revelations of the kings, empresses, amirs, sultans, caliphs, presidents, autocrats, imperialists and warlords, poets, prophets, saints and rabbis who created, destroyed, chronicled, and believed in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. A classic of modern literature, this is not only the epic story of 3,000 years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism, co-existence, power and myth, but also a freshly updated, carefully balanced history of the Middle East, from King David to the new powers of the twenty-first century, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is how today’s Middle East was forged, how the Holy Land became sacred and how Jerusalem became Jerusalem—the only city that exists twice—in heaven and on earth. “Magnificent. . . . Montefiore barely misses a trick or a character intaking us through the city’s story with compelling, breathless tension.” —The Wall Street Journal

Apa yang membuat Stalin begitu hebat? Apa yang membentuk Stalin menjadi psikopat kejam, politikus ulung, pencipta Uni Soviet (USSR) yang mengungguli Churchill dan Roosevelt, yang mampu mengorganisasi Stalingrad serta menaklukkan Berlin dan mengalahkan Hitler? Jika ia konon absen dalam Revolusi 1917, lalu bagaimana ia bisa tampil begitu kuat dalam politik? Lahir dalam kemiskinan, terluka oleh asuhan tapi luar biasa dalam studi, sosok karismatik namun berbahaya ini semula dikagumi sebagai penyair romantis. Ia pun awalnya dididik menjadi pendeta. Namun kemudian, ia menemukan takdirnya sebagai revolusioner. Dalam warna-warni hidupnya, ia pernah mendalangi perampokan bank, pembajakan, pembakaran, dan pembunuhan. Sepak terjangnya pun terungkap sebagai pencinta ulung yang meninggalkan rentetan gundik dan anak-anak haram. Buku ini menggambarkan bagaimana dunia kriminal menjadi habitat alami Stalin serta bagaimana premanisme politik dan alam bandit Kaukasia—dikombinasikan dengan ideologi kejam—memungkinkan Stalin mendominasi Kremlin. Inilah kisah dramatis ihwal garis hidup bocah gelandangan yang ketika dewasa menjadi sosok sangat berpengaruh di dunia, kisah anak tukang sepatu Georgia yang jadi pemimpin besar Red Tsar. Melalui riset panjang terhadap arsip yang baru dibuka di Rusia dan Georgia, Stalin Muda adalah sebuah kronik revolusi sekaligus biografi mendalam tentang sang aktor pada masa mudanya.

Jerusalén es, a la vez, la capital de un poder político, objetivo de mil batallas, conquistas y destrucciones a lo largo de los siglos, y la ciudad santa de tres religiones: el lugar destinado a ser el escenario del Juicio Final profetizado por el Apocalipsis. Simon Sebag Montefiore ha logrado el prodigio de evocar en estas páginas sus tres mil años de historia, contados a través de las vidas de quienes los protagonizaron, en una nómina que incluye reyes, políticos, conquistadores o profetas, de Salomón a Lawrence de Arabia, pasando por Abraham, Jesús o Mahoma, por Saladino, los cruzados, Suleimán el Magnífico o Winston Churchill, sin olvidar a la infinidad de hombres y mujeres comunes que han vivido, amado, sufrido o luchado en sus calles.