The Purple Line
A criminological journey that uses a painting to open a door on the past. Two noblewomen stand naked in a bath. The lady on the left holds the other one’s nipple. This sixteenth-century portrait has fascinated generations of art lovers and is one of the most famous paintings in the Louvre, but little is known of its provenance or meaning. The lady on the left is Gabrielle d’Estrees, Duchess of Beaufort and lover of King Henry IV of France, who intended to marry her. In all other respects the painting is a mystery, with even the identity of the artist unknown. Andreas Michelis, a young lecturer in American literature, follows the trail left by the painting and discovers a terrible secret. Gabrielle died suddenly, just before she was due to marry King Henry. She was heavily pregnant at the time...
»A quiet stroke of genius. Beautifully written.« (ORF)
Publishing Information:
- Original Hardcover Edition: Weitbrecht 1996
- Original Paperback Edition: Heyne 1999/Knaur 2003
- Translations: France (Editions J.C. Lattès), Italy (Longanesi), Russia (AST Publishers), Czech Republic (Alpress s.r.o.), Spain (Roca Editorial de Libros, S.L.), Korea (Human & Books), Portugal (Difel), The Netherlands (Unieboek), Poland (Wydawnictwo Ksiazkowe Twoj Style), Latvia (Zvaigzne ABC Publishers Ltd.)
- Movie & TV: Rights free (AVA international)
- English Language Rights Available