Synopses & Reviews
The year is 1619, and Diego Velázquez is a rising star at an art academy in Seville run by his father-in-law. But even as his young wife builds him a family, the painter yearns for a larger canvas, and soon his ambition lands him at the court of King Philip IV, where he quickly gains prominence, just as Spain is plunged into military defeat and domestic chaos. But as he gains nobility and privilege, Velázquez encounters the sinful decadence that defines the regime. At the heart of this most conservative country, its ruling class breaks every rule that the masses must obey. As he finds himself torn between loyalty to family and the easy seductions of power, Velázquez decides to take on his riskiest painting yet, which could, in a stroke, land him in the claws of the Inquisition. A sweeping story of scandal and passion, and a vivid recreation of a corrupt kingdom on the brink of collapse, I Am Venus is a thrilling novel that brings to life the public and private worlds of Spain's greatest painter.
Review
Praise for
Frida:
"Brilliantly crafted, this book resonates with historical and psychological insight. Highly recommended." --Library Journal (starred review)
"The best kind of fictionalized biography: rich, vibrant, and psychologically acute." --Kirkus Reviews
"Burns with dramatic urgency." --The New York Times Book Review
Review
Praise for
I Am Venus:
“Mujicas prose is vigorous and intense, and the story is paradoxically both dark and illuminating.” —-Kirkus Reviews
"The exploration of [the characters'] daily lives, with a particular focus on Velzquezs wife and her ladies-in-waiting, paints a picture that is deliciously contradictory to the perfect representation demanded of Velzquez by the royal court. Mujica…instantly creates a sensory world for her readers to inhabit."--Booklist
Praise for Frida
“Vivid . . . Frida burns with dramatic urgency.” —-The New York Times Book Review
“A delicious blend of fiction and biography. . . . A captivating introduction to the life-—and death—-of Frida Kahlo.” —-Grand Rapids Press
“The best kind of fictionalized biography: rich, vibrant, and psychologically acute.” —-Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Sister Teresa
“Eschewing sacred sentiment for rich, gritty anecdotes, Sister Teresa, Bárbara Mujicas well-researched novel, reimagines famed 16th-century Teresa of ávila as a vibrant and fully fleshed woman not above vanity, deceit, and a little pre-convent hanky-panky.” -—Entertainment Weekly
“A lively, vivid, and fast-paced story . . . Bárbara Mujica is extraordinarily qualified to bring together the ethos of 16th-century Spain with a woman from that era whom no one can ignore, St. Teresa of ávila . . . Mujica [is] a natural storyteller.” —-America
“Engaging . . . Mujicas fictional narrator, Sister Angelica, steals the show . . . Despite the many ugly historical events, such as the Spanish Inquisition, that figure into the story, it is surprisingly light and entertaining.” —-Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
By the acclaimed author of
Frida and
Sister Teresa, I Am Venus chronicles the scandalous affair between the great Baroque Spanish painter Diego Velázquez and a young model named Venus--and the grave consequences of their love.
In seventeenth-century Spain, Diego Velázquez quickly rises from an obscure artist to the official court painter for King Philip IV. Now a prominent member of the court, Velázquez becomes increasingly immersed in a world of political rivalry, malicious gossip, and indiscriminant cruelty. Told from the point of view of the model who posed for one of Velázquez's most famous works--"The Rokeby Venus"--I Am Venus is a seductive tale of jealousy, betrayal, loss, and ambition.
Synopsis
In this breathtaking historical novel by the acclaimed author of the bestselling Frida, Bárbara Mujica reimagines the dramatic life and loves of the Baroque Spanish painter Diego Velázquez. Narrated by the mysterious model who posed for The Toilet of Venus, his only surviving female nude, I Am Venus is the riveting account of a great artist's rise to prominence, set against the backdrop of political turmoil and romantic scandal.
About the Author
Bárbara Mujica is a novelist, short-story writer, critic, and professor at Georgetown University. She is the author of acclaimed novels Sister Teresa and Frida, also published by Overlook. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she has won numerous awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland.