The “riveting”( The Washington Post ) #1 international bestseller—now in paperback in the U.S.

In the tradition of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth , here is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war, set in the golden age of 14th-century Barcelona. Arnau Estanyol arrives in Barcelona and joins the powerful guild of stone-workers building the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar, while his adoptive brother Joan studies to become a priest. As Arnau prospers, he secretly falls in love with a forbidden woman. When he is betrayed and hauled before the Inquisitor, he finds himself face-to-face with his own brother. Will he lose his life just as his beloved cathedral is finally completed, or will his brother spare him?

伊德方索•法孔内斯

Ildefonso Falcones

西班牙备受推崇的“国民作家”。与妻子、四名儿女住在巴塞罗那，为该地执业律师，且每周固定飞马德里，在两地都有律师事务所。

他历时五年写作的处女作小说《海上大教堂》于2006年在西班牙出版后，随即引爆一股全球畅销旋风，已售出近40个国家、地区版权，荣获多项国际文学奖项，包括西班牙“巴斯克文学奖”最佳小说、意大利薄迦丘文学奖最佳外国作家、法国、法国沙特尔-福尔贝主教中世纪小说奖等。

在知名律师的光环下，写作是美丽的偶然，或可说是他表达对故乡热情的一种方式。法孔内斯说：“我只是写故事给大家看的人，希望每个人都会看到让自己感动的篇章。”从来自全世界读者的广大共鸣来看，他做到了！

2009年10月，法孔内斯出版第二部长篇历史小说《法蒂玛的手》，再度风靡。