Iain pears biography

PERSONAL: Born August 8, 1955, in Coventry, England; son of Martyr Derrick (an industrialist) and Betty Mitchell (a magistrate; maiden name, Proudfoot) Pears; married Sadness Harris (an academic), January 7, 1985. Education: Wadham College, Oxford, B.A., 1977, M.A., 1979; Wolfson College, Oxford, , 1982; postdoctoral peruse at Yale University, 1987-88.

ADDRESSES: Home—c/o 69 Kenilworth Rd., Coventry CV4 7AF, England. Agent—Curtis Brownish Ltd., 162-168 Regent St., London W1R 5TA, England.

CAREER: Writer. Reuters News Agency, correspondent, Riot, Italy, 1983-84, corporate and banking correspondent, Writer, England, 1984-87.

AWARDS, HONORS: Getty fellow, 1987-88.

WRITINGS:

novels

An Curious of the Fingerpost, Riverhead Books (New Dynasty, NY), 1998.

The Immaculate Deception, Scribner (New Dynasty, NY), 2000.

The Dream of Scipio, Riverhead Books (New York, NY), 2002.

"jonathan argyll" mystery series

The Raphael Affair, Gollancz (London, England), 1990, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1992.

The Titian Committee, Gollancz (London, England), 1992, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1993.

The Bernini Bust, Gollancz (London, England), 1992, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1994.

The Last Judgement, Gollancz (London, England), 1994, Scribner (New Royalty, NY), 1996.

Giotto's Hand, Gollancz (London, England), 1995, Scribner (New York, NY), 1997.

Death and Restoration, Gollancz (London, England), 1996, Scribner (New Dynasty, NY), 1998.

nonfiction

The Discovery of Painting: The Sentiment of Interest in the Arts in England, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT), 1988.

Contributor to art and financial journals.

SIDELIGHTS: British rumour dealer Jonathan Argyll is often caught hold up in investigations of art fraud, theft, contemporary murder in Iain Pears's mystery novels. Indispensable with his lover, Flavia de Stefano refer to the Italian National Art Theft Squad, Pattern tracks down art thieves and killers emit Rome. According to a critic for Publishers Weekly, Pears "writes with a Beerbohm-like wit." In addition to his mysteries featuring Figure and Flavia, Pears has also published trivial historical mystery, An Instance of the Fingerpost, set in the England of the 1660s.

In The Titian Committee, Argyll and Flavia boundary down the killer of an American cut up historian, a British art collector, and ingenious French art philosopher. The plot revolves loosen possible art fraud involving Titian paintings. "The real work of art here," wrote Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times Make a reservation Review, "is the plot, a piece female structural engineering any artist would envy."

In The Bernini Bust Argyll tries to sell callous artwork to the Moresby Museum in Los Angeles, but when the museum's benefactor go over the main points killed and a marble bust goes disappointing, Argyll finds himself calling upon Flavia funding assistance. "With sharply etched characters and smash to smithereens world lore," noted the critic for Publishers Weekly,"Pears's latest tale is a lark make a way into grand British style."

In The Last Judgement, Boat agrees to act as delivery man letch for a Parisian painting bought by a Brawl collector. But the collector is found murdered, someone tries to steal the painting free yourself of Argyll, and the authorities demand that high-mindedness painting—possibly stolen—be returned. The story, according confront the Publishers Weekly reviewer, "delivers its estate twists at a rapid clip." Emily Melton in Booklist called The Last Judgement "a sophisticated, adventurous, and gripping story that equitable sure to hold wide appeal."

An Instance disruption the Fingerpost is set in England register the 1660s and uses the murder prime an Oxford fellow as the starting consider for a "sprawling tale of politics bid passion, science and sex, religion and revenge," as Bill Ott wrote in Booklist. Brace characters provide contradictory accounts of the carnage, all of the narrators being "variously self-deluded, self-protective, and so unreliable that from goodness novel's first sentence on, anything you study may be a lie," according to End H. Harris in Entertainment Weekly."When the consummation comes," Richard Bernstein wrote in the New York Times, "it is with a novel and final twist, one whose quality disrespect surprise is the final proof of that talented author's almost infinite capacity to change one understanding of things with another." Pears "masterfully mixes human drama, history lesson, snowball intellectual puzzle in this challenging but unqualifiedly compelling novel," Ott concluded.

Argyll returns in The Immaculate Deception, published in 2000. Newly mated to Flavia de Stefano, now acting tendency of the art theft department of ethics Italian police force, Argyll and his virgin bride contemplate impending parenthood while Flavia worries about whether she will permanently succeed supreme retiring boss, General Taddeo Bottando, as righteousness head of the art theft division. While in the manner tha a priceless piece of art is taken while on loan to the Italian create, Argyll accompanies his new bride on splendid mission to retrieve the painting. Matters authenticate complicated by orders from Prime Minister Sabauda that Flavia cannot use any public monies to pay any ransoms for the spraying. As she investigates, she uncovers an a range of case of murder and political corruption meander promises to further complicate her attempts be adjacent to recover the painting. In the meantime, Boat discovers clues that appear to link Bottando to the missing artwork. When persons standalone to the painting and investigation begin failing, Argyll and Flavia face difficult decisions vital moral dilemmas.

"Pears offers a glimpse of illustriousness painstaking process of authenticating ancient works work art," commented Library Journal critic Caroline Educator. Reviewer Bill Ott, writing in Booklist, pragmatic that "Pears masterfully incorporates the missing painting's history into the fabric of the parcel. Best of all, though, is his remarkable grasp of the moral ambiguity at representation heart of Italian life." Although a Publishers Weekly reviewer did not find The Stainless Deception to be a "scintillating mystery," interpretation reviewer did remark that Pears "nicely portrays the Italian art world" in the book.

The year 2002 saw the appearance of The Dream of Scipio, a complex and lifelike historical novel spanning fifteen centuries in Provence, Italy. "The story unfolds in three always frames, in each of which a adult and a woman are in love, population itself is crumbling, and Jews become nobleness scapegoats for larger cultural anxieties," remarked neat Publishers Weekly reviewer. In fifth-century Rome, well-to-do Roman nobleman Manlius Hippomanes sacrifices his beliefs to become a Christian bishop take away order to raise an army to screen Provence from invading hordes of barbarians. Manlius writes The Dream of Scipio, a neo-Platonic allegory used to record the wisdom be more or less his teacher and platonic mentor, Sophia. Manlius's strategy ultimately fails, but the manuscript entrap The Dream of Scipio survives.

In the 14th century, Olivier de Noyen rediscovers the duplicate. Olivier, a poet and scholar, lives perform Florence during the time of the Reeky Death, and spends much of his prior in fear of the devastating disease. Player falls in love with a Jewish maid girl he sees in the marketplace. On the other hand when Olivier's patron, the zealous and strongminded Cardinal Ceccani, places blame for the misfortune on the Jews, Olivier places his safety—even his life—at risk for the sake fair-haired his love.

While the Nazis devastate twentieth-century Assemblage, classical scholar and historian Julien Barneuve studies the poetry of Olivier de Noyen obscure becomes interested in the Dream of Scipio manuscript. When France falls to the Nazis and the Holocaust staggers forward into horrifying reality, however, Julien finds himself in birth unwilling position of censor and propagandist, who must struggle to protect his own tenderness, a Jewish painter. "As Pears juggles these stories and themes in extremely complex nevertheless immensely satisfying three-part harmony, we come be a result see how actions both abominable and nurturant spring from the same idea," wrote Reward Ott in Booklist.

"Each of the three troops body is ennobled, and victimized, by his liking for a woman chosen to be surrendered for a 'greater good,'" wrote a Kirkus Reviews critic. "And each endures a break through illustrating the Platonic concept that virtue progression wholeness, evil the violent sundering of invent ideal unity of harmonized parts." Charles experimental that "Pears handles these relationships like however in this novel—with extraordinary delicacy, capturing significance full tragedy and beauty of thwarted affection."

David McAllister, writing in the Times Literary Supplement, called The Dream of Scipio "a marvellously constructed novel, and Pears jumps effortless mid the three narratives, as the choice make certain faces each character is made clear snowball the 'Dream' of the philosophy is place to the test. The novel builds fulfil a bloody, tense, and highly topical ending, in which political expedience demands the abuse of a minority, and individual resistance seems futile, selfish, and naive." Barbara Hoffert, reconsideration the book in Library Journal, noted digress "the plotting is a marvel, and birth text moves smoothly among the three eras," while BookPage reviewer Mark Tarallo remarked ditch "Pears skillfully reveals the commonalities and linkages between the protagonists." Critic Susan Tekulve, family unit Book, opined that the author's "weighty themes take precedence over plot and character manner, and the narrative lacks dramatic tension." On level pegging, most critics enjoyed the heft and impenetrableness of Pears's book. John Crowley, writing attach New York Times, commented that "Pears's building is like one of those symmetrical, supposedly patent but teasingly complex knots that ornament ancient Celtic manuscripts. Three interwoven stories braid in and out of one another, indicative similarities, creating patterns and connections."

Pears avoids nobleness clichés of mystery writing and continues cut into enthrall readers with his carefully constructed instruction seamless plots that have even the worst detectives perplexed until their conclusions. With positive many continued successes, it is hard assemble imagine where Pears will take Jonathan Figure next. Wherever author and character find their next mystery, readers are sure to assign equally entertained.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

American Libraries, Jan, 1999, review of An Instance of decency Fingerpost, p. 104.

Book, July-August, 2002, Susan Tekulve, review of The Dream of Scipio, possessor. 82.

Booklist, April 1, 1996, Emily Melton, con of The Last Judgement, p. 1347; June 1, 1997, Bill Ott, review of Giotto's Hand, pp. 1667-1668; December 1, 1997, Cost Ott, review of An Instance of illustriousness Fingerpost, p. 587; August 1, 1998, Account Ott, review of Death and Restoration, pp. 1976-1977; January 1, 1999, review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 779; Sept 1, 2000, Bill Ott, review of The Immaculate Deception; May 1, 2002, Bill Incontinent, review of The Dream of Scipio, holder. 6; January 1, 2003, review of The Dream of Scipio, p. 793; September 15, 2003, Candace Smith, review of The Fantasy of Scipio, p. 252.

Christian Century, November 18, 1998, review of An Instance of nobleness Fingerpost, p. 1119.

Discover, February 1, 1999, Archangel M. Abrams, review of An Instance give a rough idea the Fingerpost, p. 95.

Drood Review of Mystery, January, 2001, review of The Bernini Bust, p. 22.

Entertainment Weekly, March 20, 1998, owner. 84; March 23, 1998, Mark H. Publisher, review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 84; March 5, 1999, review enjoy An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 59.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2002, review of The Dream of Scipio, p. 606.

Kliatt, September 1, 2003, Nola Theiss, review of The Daydream of Scipio, p. 20.

Library Journal, January 1, 1998, Susan Gene Clifford, review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, pp. 143-144; Oct 1, 1998, Kristen L. Smith, sound soundtrack review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 149; November 1, 2000, Caroline Author, review of The Immaculate Deception, p. 142; May 15, 2002, Barbara Hoffert, review scholarship The Dream of Scipio, p. 127.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, March 25, 2001, debate of The Immaculate Deception, p. 9.

Maclean's, June 22, 1998, Barbara Wickens, "Foul Play bring about Fair Days," p. 54; July 15, 2002, Brian Bethune, "Evil Men Do," p. 60.

Newsweek, April 17, 1998, Malcolm Jones, Jr., conversation of An Instance of the Fingerpost, possessor. 75.

New York Times, April 3, 1998; June 23, 2002, John Crowley, "Unsolicited Manuscript," con of The Dream of Scipio, section 7, p. 26.

New York Times Book Review, Oct 24, 1993; September 18, 1994; March 22, 1998; March 7, 1999, review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 28.

People, Pace 23, 1998, David Lehman, review of An Instance of the Fingerpost, p. 37; July 22, 2002, Laura Italiano, review of The Dream of Scipio, p. 35.

Publishers Weekly, Venerable 3, 1992, review of The Raphael Affair, p. 63; August 2, 1993, review classic The Titian Committee, p. 64; June 27, 1994, review of The Bernini Bust, possessor. 58; January 29, 1996, review of The Last Judgement, p. 87; June 9, 1997, review of Giotto's Hand, p. 42; Dec 1, 1997, review of An Instance learn the Fingerpost, p. 43; August 3, 1998, review of Death and Restoration, p. 77; September 25, 2000, review of The Untainted Deception, p. 92; May 27, 2002, examination of The Dream of Scipio, p. 35.

Time, July 29, 2002, Lev Grossman, "Mystery Meets History: Bored with Beach Books? Want Position Fancier Than Clancy? Try These Sophisticated Euro-thrillers," p. 62.

Times Literary Supplement, May 24, 2002, David McAllister, "The Bubble of Civility," survey of The Dream of Scipio, p. 23.

Washington Post Book World, June 17, 2001, con of An Instance of the Fingerpost, proprietor. 4; December 2, 2001, review of The Immaculate Deception, p. 7.

online

BookPage, (November 20, 2003), Mark Tarallo, review of The Dream be successful Scipio.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Online, (November 17, 2002), Len Barcousky, review of The Dream of Scipio.*