Michael Finkel

El extraño e increíble caso Breitwieser, la historia de una obsesión por el arte y una insaciable avidez por poseer la belleza a toda costa. «Impresionante. Tan absorbente como una novela de Highsmit

En 1986, el joven Christopher Knight abandonó su casa de Massachussetts para internarse en un bosque. Durante treinta años vivió aislado hasta que lo arrestaron por robar comida. Durmiendo en una tienda de campaña, sobrevivió gracias a su ingenio y valentía, desarrollando toda una serie de tácticas para almacenar agua y comida y evitar morir congelado. Robaba comida y elementos de primera necesidad de las cabañas cercanas al bosque, sembrando el terror en toda una comunidad que nunca fue capaz de resolver el misterio de los robos. Basándose en las entrevistas que le hizo al propio Knight, Finkel ofrece un relato detallado de la vida de este joven aventurero, así como de los retos a los que se tuvo que enfrentar al volver a vivir en sociedad.

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, hardliving, 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 3 children (their bodies were found in Oregon waterways, the largest and the smallest in suitcases), who then passed himself off as Michael Finkel, NY journalist, while on the run in Mexico. These two weird stories come together as Finkel in turn becomes fascinated (obsessed, even) with Longo the accused murderer, who while in prison would talk only to Finkel. Who is using whom? It''s all about truth and lies, and where journalistic truth deviates from reality; and about lives that take a wrong turning. It''s very well written, disturbing in many ways and utterly gripping. There is an acknowledged moral ambiguity about the whole venture which makes it problematic but even more interesting- And in April 2003 Longo, who had pleaded guilty only to 2 counts of murder, was sentenced to death for all 4. Finkel visited and talked to him throughout the trial.

L’histoire incroyable d’un homme qui a vécu seul pendant 27 ans dans les forêts du MaineEn 1986 – c’était l’époque de Reagan et de Tchernobyl – Christopher Knight, un jeune homme intelligent et timid

*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 mans attempt to escape lifes distractions and look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena and Ayeshas GiftNot 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 OFarrellBrilliant A thrilling heist caper along the lines of Oceans Eleven Sunday TimesGripping 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 Stephane 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 Breitwiesers 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 addicts need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriends 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 EconomistEnthralling The Wall Street JournalA thrilling read The New YorkerA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Lit Hub

Une enquête exceptionnelle sur la trajectoire hors norme de Stéphane Breitwieser, véritable Arsène Lupin des musées ! " Une enquête au scalpel et un sacré polar " Nicolas Demorand, France InterUn ge

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 its 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...?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first century • “The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timi

This is the true story of art thief Stephane Breitwieser who stole over 300 art pieces in the course of 200 heists

The extraordinary story of a young man who chose to live in total isolation in the woods of Maine for 27 years

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a realitynot out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival. The Wall Street JournalIn 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. 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 through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, 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 his secluded lifewhy did he leave? what did he learn?as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping 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.

Un gentleman-cambrioleur agit avec habileté et classe, sans jamais recourir à la violence, guidé par un certain sens de lhonneur. Pendant huit ans, Stéphane Breitwieser, originaire de Mulhouse, a com

El extraño e increíble caso Breitwieser, la historia de una obsesión por el arte y una insaciable avidez por poseer la belleza a toda costa.«Impresionante. Tan absorbente como una novela de Highsmith

The improbable but true story of a man accused of murdering his entire family and the journalist he impersonated while on the runIn 2001, Mike Finkel was on top of the world: young, talented, and recently promoted to a plum job at the New York Times Magazine. Then he made an irremediable slip: Under extraordinary pressure to keep producing blockbuster stories, he fabricated parts of an article. Caught and excommunicated from the Times, he retreated to his home in Montana, swearing off any contact with the media. When the phone rang, though, he couldnt resist. At the other end was a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, whom Finkel congratulated on being the first in what was sure to be a long and bloodthirsty line of media watchdogs. The reporter was puzzled.In Waldport, Oregon, Christian Longo had killed his young wife and three children and dumped their bodies into the bay. With a stolen credit card, he fled south, making his way to Cancun, where he lived for several weeks under an assumed identity: Michael Finkel, journalist for the New York Times.True Story is the tale of a bizarre and convoluted collision between fact and fiction, and a meditation on the slippery nature of truth. When Finkel contacts Longo in jail, the two men begin a close and complex relationship. Over the course of a year, they exchange long letters and weekly phone calls, playing out a cat-and-mouse game in which its never quite clear if the pursuer is Finkel or Longoor both. Finkels dogged pursuit of the true story pays off only at the end, in the gripping trial scenes in which Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally tells the whole truth. Or so he says.