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Press ReleaseControversy Over Nefertiti Statue Fuels Interest in NovelLOS ANGELES, June 12, 2007 -- When Michelle Moran finished her debut novel NEFERTITI, she had no idea of the controversy that would soon be surrounding the three-thousand-year-old statue which inspired her to begin writing about the ancient Egyptian queen. "A few years ago on a trip to Berlin, I was visiting the Altes Museum and saw the bust of Nefertiti. Looking into her mysterious gaze, it was impossible not to wonder who she was and what kind of woman she had been."In life, Nefertiti had possessed the kind of power that had never before been granted to a woman in ancient Egypt. She had also been a stunning beauty. Her bust in Berlin depicts a woman with a long neck, elegant brows and cheekbones that would have made Angelina Jolie envious ... all of which makes her that much more valuable to Egypt, whose head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has demanded the immediate return of Nefertiti's bust by Germany. "Her name means the Beautiful One Has Arrived, and when Nefertiti's bust arrived in Berlin before the start of WWI, there wasn't much controversy. Once it became clear how popular the Nefertiti exhibit was, however, Egypt began to wonder whether she shouldn't be returned," says Moran. But that was in 1913, and since then the debate over the bust's ownership has intensified into a war of words that threatens to make Nefertiti the next Helen of Troy, at least in the archaeological world. "The controversy has gotten ugly," Moran adds. "For ninety-five years the Germans have had possession of Nefertiti's bust. Now, Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has threatened a scientific war if she isn't returned, vowing to ban any further loans of Egyptian artifacts to Germany and to halt all communication with German archaeologists." Which would indeed make Nefertiti a scientific Helen. But is Egypt serious? "We'll have to wait and see." And none of this comes as a surprise to Moran, whose debut novel tells the epic story of Nefertiti's rise and fall from power. "In life, Nefertiti was controversial. It doesn't surprise me in the least that she should continue to be controversial in death." And perhaps this controversy has even worked to her advantage. Library Journal made NEFERTITI an Editor's Pick, calling the book "completely engrossing." And before the book was even released, it had become part of the exclusive Hot Type Author Series, which sends copies of future bestsellers to resorts where clients can read them before they even hit the stands. Currently, Michelle Moran is living in Los Angeles and working on her second historical fiction for Crown Publishers. Her debut novel NEFERTITI will be released July 10 in over fifteen languages. You can visit her on the web at http://www.michellemoran.com. Contact: Random House Sarah Chance Breivogel: sbreivogel@randomhouse.com Dyana Messina: dmessina@randomhouse.com P: 212-572-2722 F: 212-940-7868 |
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