City of Thieves

Resumen del libro

As wise and funny as it is thrilling and originalathe story of two young men on an impossible adventure
A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother wonat talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds.
Lev Beniov considers himself abuilt for deprivation.a Heas small, smart, and insecure, a Jewish virgin too young for the army, who spends his nights working as a volunteer firefighter with friends from his building. When a dead German paratrooper lands in his street, Lev is caught looting the body and dragged to jail, fearing for his life. He shares his cell with the charismatic and grandiose Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested on desertion charges. Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughteras wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt to find the impossible. A search that takes them through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and the devastated surrounding countryside creates an unlikely bond between this earnest, lust-filled teenager and an endearing lothario with the gifts of a conman. Set within the monumental events of history, "City of Thieves" is an intimate coming-of-age tale with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

Biografía del autor

Es autor de la novela La última hora (2000), que fue llevada al cine por Spike Lee con guión del propio Benioff. Ha escrito los guiones de Troya, Tránsito y Cometas en el cielo, y en la actualidad está preparando el de XMen Origins: Wolverine y la adaptación de la serie de novelas de George R. R. Martin Canción de hielo y fuego. También es autor del libro de cuentos Descalza sobre el trébol y otros relatos (2004). Sus relatos han aparecido en Best New American Voices y The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Ciudad de ladrones, recibida con gran entusiasmo por la crítica, será publicada en 24 lenguas. Vive en Los Ángeles con su mujer y su hija.