Part of Series
Engleska, 12. stoljeće. Tom Graditelj sa svojom obitelji luta zemljom u potrazi za poslom koji bi ostvario san što ga sanja cijeli život – san o gradnji katedrale. Čarobna i strastvena Ellen nepovjerljivo se kloni ljudi i mirno živi u šumi sa svojim briljantnim sinom Jackom čiji će talent i intelekt zasjati u mračnom dobu u kojem se rodio. Prior Philip, predan redovnik i lukav manevrist odlučan je u namjeri da u svemu slijedi Božje upute. Lady Aliena, predivna djevojka nesalomljiva duha, na gorak će način naučiti što je život nezaštićen zidinama grofovskoga dvorca njezina oca. A mladi William Hamleigh beskrupulozno će iskušavati granice vlastite okrutnosti. U vrijeme građanskog rata, gladi i vjerskih sukoba, u dotad beznačajnom gradiću Kingsbridgeu doista će niknuti veličanstvena katedrala o kojoj Tom Graditelj i prior Philip sanjaju. U njezinoj sjeni ispreplest će se životi glavnih likova u nenadmašnoj epskoj i ljubavnoj priči koja odražava sav duh turbulentnog srednjeg vijeka. Prvi dio Stupova zemlje, Follettova vjerojatno najboljeg romana, otvorit će put u svijet intrige i izdaje, epske obiteljske drame, nasilnih konflikata i neutažive ambicije. Od skromnoga graditelja do oholog monarha, snovi, težnje i ljubavi Follettovih likova otjelotvorit će se na stranicama ove monumentalne knjige. Iako poznat kao pisac trilera poput romana Opasno bogatstvo, Čavke i Treći blizanac, Ken Follet, jedan od najuspješnijih i najpopularnijih britanskih autora, ovim je povijesnim romanom otišao sasvim drugim smjerom, postigavši nemoguće. S vrtoglavih osamnaest milijuna prodanih primjeraka diljem svijeta, Stupovi zemlje postali su jedan od njegovih najčitanijih romana, godinama na prvim mjestima top-ljestvica najprodavanijih knjiga i pokazali se jednom od najpopularnijih knjiga nekog britanskog pisca uopće, te bez sumnje jednom od najpopularnijih knjiga našega doba. Ovo kapitalno Follettovo djelo prevela je Ana Papić, a naslovnica je rad Tomislava Tikulina.
Author
Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages. Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995. He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director. Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books. In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007. Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders. Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire. Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.
