Lara Prescott

Lara Prescott is an American author of fiction. Her debut novel, The Secrets We Kept, was a New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. It has been translated into over 30 languages and is being adapted for television.[1][2]

Lara Prescott
BornGreensburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, fiction writer
LanguageEnglish
CitizenshipUS
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (MFA)
Years active2019–present
Notable worksThe Secrets We Kept, New York Times bestseller

Early life and education

Prescott was born and raised in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School in 2000 and attended American University in Washington, D.C., where she studied political science. She earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin.[3]

Career

Before becoming a writer, Prescott worked as a political campaign consultant.[1] She worked as a digital communications consultant and ghost writer for progressive politicians.[3]

In 2019, Prescott's debut novel, The Secrets We Kept, was published by the Alfred A. Knopf imprint of Penguin Random House after a bidding war between publishers was ended by a $2 million deal.[4] It is a fictionalized account of the writing and CIA's clandestine distribution of Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak during the Cold War.[5] The Los Angeles Review of Books compared it to classic Russian literature: “Lara Prescott’s debut follows in the footsteps of classic Russian novels by being an epic love story that is both brilliant and bleak, one that is wound into the fabric of tragic, true history…I can’t stop thinking about this book. Prescott has uncovered a time when people—normal people—risked their lives and careers for literature. Why don’t we see that today?”[6] The New York Times called it a "gorgeous and romantic feast of a novel"[7] and Vogue called it a "stunning spycraft debut."[8]

British author Anna Pasternak sued Prescott in 2019 claiming infringement in her book, Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago.[9] Penguin Random House defended Prescott, saying the claims were "simply without merit."[9] In 2022, Pasternak lost the case, with the judge saying it was "extraordinary" that she brought the claim without ever having read The Secrets We Kept and that The Secrets We Kept had not been copied.[10][11]

References
  1. Seacoastonline, Special to. "Author Alice Hoffman to speak at Music Hall Lounge". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  2. Wild, Stephi. "Alice Hoffman Brings THE BOOK OF MAGIC to The Music Hall Lounge This Month". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  3. "Greensburg native Lara Prescott signs seven-figure deal for her debut novel | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". January 20, 2022. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  4. Flood, Alison (June 11, 2018). "First novel inspired by CIA's Doctor Zhivago plan nets $2m book deal". The Guardian. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  5. Valby, Karen (August 29, 2019). "A Novelist Inspired by the Cold War, a C.I.A. Typing Pool and 'Dr. Zhivago'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  6. "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. December 18, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  7. Valby, Karen (August 29, 2019). "A Novelist Inspired by the Cold War, a C.I.A. Typing Pool and 'Dr. Zhivago'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55bf9fc3e4b0ce7aa0611ff0/t/5d581634fbeeb00001832115/1566053948633/Vogue+Review+-+September+2019.jpg
  9. "Penguin Random House defends Zhivago novel against plagiarism claim". the Guardian. October 1, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. "Descendant of Doctor Zhivago author loses copyright court case". the Guardian. October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  11. Urwin, Rosamund. "Dan Brown helped me find a happy ending after heartbreak of Zhivago case". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
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