Charles Belfoure

He was born in 1954 as the son of Charles William Belfoure, a second class yeoman of the U.S. Navy, who was in service during World War II, Korean and Vietnam War, and Polish immigrant Kristine Vetulani, a celebrated translator, teacher and activist.{{cite news| url = https://www.baltimoresun.com/2004/03/29/eve-k-belfoure-79-survivor-of-nazi-labor-camp-teacher/| title = Eve K. Belfoure, 79, survivor of Nazi labor camp, teacher| date = 29 March 2004| newspaper = The Baltimore Sun|access-date = 26 July 2015}} He grew up in Woodlawn, the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Woodlawn High School.{{cite web| url = http://www.bcpl.info/between-the-covers/between-covers-charles-belfoure| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001140257/http://www.bcpl.info/between-the-covers/between-covers-charles-belfoure| url-status = dead| archive-date = 1 October 2015| title = Between the Covers with Charles Belfoure| publisher = Baltimore County Public Library| date = 23 September 2015| accessdate = 29 September 2015}} In 1983 he graduated from the Pratt Institute with a Bachelor in Architecture and in 1993 from the Columbia University with a Master of Science in Real Estate Development.

He is a specialist in historic preservation.{{cite magazine |author= Nate Brown|date= 27 July 2015|title= Two Lives|url= http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/67600-two-lives-charles-belfoure.html|magazine= Publishers Weekly|pages= 34–35}} He taught at Pratt Institute and at the Goucher College in Baltimore, and has been a freelance contributor to The New York Times and The Baltimore Sun. He published several architectural histories and was a recipient of a Graham Foundation national grant for architectural research.{{cite web| url = http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/247642.Charles_Belfoure| title = Charles Belfoure| publisher = Goodreads| accessdate = 26 July 2015}}

At one point of his career, he began to write novels. The Paris Architect, Belfoure's first novel, was published by Sourcebooks Landmark on October 8, 2013, in the U.S. Following the story of a French architect Lucien Bernard, being paid to create temporary hiding places for Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris,{{cite news| url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/10/30/the-paris-architect-charles-belfoure/3290321/| title = New voices: Charles Belfoure and 'The Paris Architect'| author = Jocelyn McClurg| newspaper = USA Today| date = 30 October 2013| accessdate = 26 July 2015}} the book received generally positive reviews. Malcolm Gladwell of The Guardian chose The Paris Architect his favourite book of 2013, calling it "a beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war".{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/23/mantel-franzen-catton-writers-critics-best-books-2013| title = Writers and critics on the best books of 2013| newspaper = The Guardian| accessdate = 27 July 2015| date = 23 November 2013}} Belfoure's debut in fiction was found among finalists of the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award{{cite web| url = http://www.impacdublinaward.ie/news/2015-printable-longlist/| title = Longlist of the 2015 International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award| accessdate = 27 July 2015| publisher = International DUBLIN Literary Award| url-status = dead| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150728210605/http://www.impacdublinaward.ie/news/2015-printable-longlist/| archivedate = 28 July 2015}} and hit The New York Times best seller list in an e-book category in July 2015.{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2015-07-26/e-book-fiction/list.html| title = E-book Fiction Best Sellers| newspaper = The New York Times| accessdate = 27 July 2015}} The book has been translated into at least ten languages. StudioCanal and The Picture Company acquired the rights to film The Paris Architect. Chris Salmanpour was signed up to adapt the script.{{cite web| url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/studiocanal-picture-company-adapting-world-912796| title = Studiocanal, The Picture Company Adapting World War Two Thriller 'The Paris Architect' (Exclusive)| publisher = hollywoodreporter.com| date = 20 July 2016| accessdate = 11 August 2016| author = Borys Kit}}

Belfoure's second novel, House of Thieves, was published on September 15, 2015. Set in 1886 in New York, it tells the story of an architect forced to join a criminal gang, and therefore plan robberies of the buildings he had previously designed to pay off his son's debts.{{cite news| url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/09/11/books-new-and-noteworthy/71641644/| title = Books: New and Noteworthy| author = Jocelyn McClurg| newspaper = USA Today| date = 13 September 2015| accessdate = 25 September 2015}} Publishers Weekly praised the work, pointing out that "Belfoure holds together each and every thread of the novel, resulting in a most memorable, evocative read".{{cite magazine| url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4926-1789-1| title = House of Thieves Review| magazine = Publishers Weekly| accessdate = 28 July 2015}} Jocelyn McClurg of USA Today gave the book three out of four stars, saying that "channeling Dickens, Belfoure designs a rollicking story but overloads on improbabilities. No matter – it's a blueprint for great fun".{{cite news| url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/11/22/fiction-roundup-sophie-kinsella-shopaholic-house-of-thieves-after-you-jojo-moyes-owen-sheers/75662472/| author = Jocelyn McClurg| title = Fiction roundup: New 'Shopaholic,' Jojo Moyes| newspaper = USA Today| date = 22 November 2015| accessdate = 22 November 2015}} House of Thieves was said to be adapted for television by the Mark Gordon Company, with Francis Lawrence to direct the series.{{cite magazine| url = https://deadline.com/2015/09/neverwhere-house-of-thieves-tv-series-francis-lawrence-mark-gordon-1201532495/| title = Francis Lawrence To Produce & Direct 'Neverwhere' & 'House Of Thieves' Series Projects Financed By Mark Gordon Co.| magazine = Deadline Hollywood| date = 18 September 2015| access-date = 25 September 2015| author = Nellie Andreeva}}

Belfoure's third novel, The Fallen Architect, was released on October 9, 2018.{{cite book| title = The Fallen Architect| isbn = 978-1492662716| last1 = Belfoure| first1 = Charles| year = 2018}} Set in 1905, it tells the story of a British architect in the Edwardian era.{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6X3uovtXGk| title = Charles Belfoure Interview – Authors Revealed| date = 5 June 2015| publisher = YouTube| accessdate = 26 July 2015}} Publishers Weekly reviewer called it an "exceptional mystery" and said that "Belfoure offers the reader glimpses of early motion pictures, variety hall jokes that are still funny, and a description of Edward VII consuming a 10-course meal. This wonderfully realized background coupled with insights into British society make this a standout",{{cite magazine| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4926-6271-6| title = The Fallen Architect | magazine = Publishers Weekly| accessdate = 28 October 2018}} yet Kirkus Reviews contributor pointed out that several "structural failures loom" in the course of the plot, and one of the plot twists "is a cul de sac from which Belfoure, himself an architect, cannot design a convincing exit. The music hall décor and atmosphere help distract from the flawed whodunit".{{cite magazine| url = https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-belfoure/the-fallen-architect/| title = The Fallen Architect Review| magazine = Kirkus Reviews| date = 17 July 2018| accessdate = 9 February 2019}} The Fallen Architect was announced a 2019 Nero Award Finalist.{{cite web| url = https://www.sourcebooks.com/blog/the-fallen-architect-is-a-2019-nero-award-finalist| title = The Fallen Architect is a 2019 Nero Award Finalist| date = 13 June 2019| publisher = Sourcebooks| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190727221448/https://www.sourcebooks.com/blog/the-fallen-architect-is-a-2019-nero-award-finalist| accessdate = 28 July 2019| archive-date = 2019-07-27}}

In 2018, Belfoure announced that he has been working on his fourth novel. The Fabergé Secret, released by Severn House of London on January 5, 2021, in the U.K. and the U.S., takes place on the court of Nicholas II of Russia. It is about a prince whose life is changed after witnessing the 1903 Easter Sunday pogrom in Kishinev.{{cite web| url = https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52675305-the-faberg-secret| title = The Fabergé Secret| publisher = GoodReads.com| accessdate = 7 April 2020}}{{cite magazine| url = https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-belfoure/the-faberge-secret/| title = The Fabergé Secret Review| magazine = Kirkus Reviews| date = 15 October 2020| accessdate = 29 March 2021}}{{cite book| url = http://www.akcalicopyright.com/files/katalog/london-adult-2020---final.pdf| chapter = The Fabergé Secret| title = London 2020 Rights Guide. Adult Titles| accessdate = 7 April 2020| publisher = Writers House| pages = 6}} Spanish translation of The Fabergé Secret was published in Mexico and Chile.{{cite web| url = https://www.planetadelibros.com/libro-el-secreto-de-los-huevos-faberge/331183| title = El secreto de los huevos Fabergé| publisher = planetadelibros.com| accessdate = 26 June 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210630094955/https://www.planetadelibros.com/libro-el-secreto-de-los-huevos-faberge/331183| archive-date = 30 June 2021}}{{cite web| url = https://www.cuartoliterario.cl/conoce-el-libro-que-te-transportara-a-los-anos-del-fin-del-imperio-ruso/| title = Conoce el libro que te transportará a los años del fin del Imperio ruso| publisher = cuartoliterario.cl| accessdate = 21 March 2022| last = Pino| first = Claudia| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220321204854/https://www.cuartoliterario.cl/conoce-el-libro-que-te-transportara-a-los-anos-del-fin-del-imperio-ruso/| archive-date = 21 March 2022}} Belfoure's fifth novel, Monsters with Human Faces, was released in 2022 by Flying Buttress Publishing with sales carried out exclusively on Amazon.{{cite web| url = https://www.amazon.com/MONSTERS-HUMAN-FACES-TERRORISM-THRILLER/dp/B0BCS7NLFV| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221101230821/https://www.amazon.com/MONSTERS-HUMAN-FACES-TERRORISM-THRILLER/dp/B0BCS7NLFV| archive-date= 1 November 2022| title = Monsters with Human Faces| date = 2022| publisher = Amazon| accessdate = 2 November 2022}}{{cite web| url = https://twitter.com/CharlesBelfoure/status/1568296620948885505| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221101231536/https://twitter.com/CharlesBelfoure/status/1568296620948885505| archive-date= 1 November 2022| title = Tweet| date = 9 September 2022| publisher = Twitter| last = Belfoure | first = Chares| accessdate = 2 November 2022}}{{cite web| url = https://indiereader.com/book_review/monsters-with-human-faces/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221207170723/https://indiereader.com/book_review/monsters-with-human-faces/| archive-date= 7 December 2022| title = Monsters with Human Faces| date = 14 November 2022| publisher = indiereader.com| language = | accessdate = 7 December 2022| last = Lane | first = Kent}}

Belfoure uses his architectural background to develop the plot of his novels. He said that he never took creative writing lessons and that he "hesitated writing fiction", but discovered that John Grisham, who was also never trained in writing, has been using his legal background for his fiction works. Belfoure decided to use his knowledge in the field of architecture in a similar way.{{cite web| url = http://www.nycwritersnetwork.org/author-spotlight-charles-belfoure/| title = Author Spotlight: Charles Belfoure| publisher = New York City Writers Network| date = 4 February 2015| accessdate = 27 July 2015}} When asked about the works that influenced him most, he pointed to Robert Caro's The Power Broker, William Golding's Lord of the Flies and novels by Thomas Hardy, especially Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge.{{cite web| url = https://read.rifflebooks.com/list/116331| title = Riffle Backstory: Q&A with Charles Belfoure, Author of The Paris Architect| publisher = Riffle| accessdate = 27 July 2015| archive-date = 26 September 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150926014912/https://read.rifflebooks.com/list/116331| url-status = dead}}{{cite web| url = http://www.foyles.co.uk/Charles-Belfoure| title = Charles Belfoure Author Page| publisher = Foyles| accessdate = 25 September 2015| date = }}

Belfoure lives in Westminster, Maryland. His son Christopher Belfoure graduated in history from West Virginia University in 2010, and died due to a fatal ATV accident the following year. A memorial scholarship – The Christopher Belfoure Chinese Studies Travel Abroad Fund – was established to honor his memory.{{cite web| url = http://alumni.wvu.edu/membership/spotlight/christopher_belfoure| title = Christopher Belfoure| publisher = West Virginia University| accessdate = 21 December 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154451/http://alumni.wvu.edu/membership/spotlight/christopher_belfoure| archive-date = 22 December 2015| url-status = dead}}{{cite web| url = http://wvutoday-archive.wvu.edu/n/2011/09/20/memorial-scholarship-created-in-honor-of-alumnus-christopher-belfoure.html| title = Memorial scholarship created in honor of alumnus Christopher Belfoure| publisher = West Virginia University| date = 20 September 2011| accessdate = 21 December 2015}}{{cite news| url = http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?pid=152425871| title = Christopher R. Belfoure – Obituary| date = 8 July 2011| accessdate = 21 December 2015| newspaper = The Hartford Courant}} Belfoure also has a daughter, Julie.

• The Paris Architect (2013)
• House of Thieves (2015)
• The Fallen Architect (2018)
• The Fabergé Secret (2021)
• Monsters with Human Faces (2022)

• The Baltimore Rowhouse (with Mary Ellen Hayward, 1997)
• Monuments to Money: The Architecture of American Banks (2005)
• Edmund G. Lind: Anglo-American Architect of Baltimore and the South (2009)
• Rebuilding Baltimore. The Azola Legacy – 50 Years (with Martin P. Azola, 2018)

• Finalist of the International Dublin Literary Award for The Paris Architect (2015)
• Finalist of the Nero Award for The Fallen Architect (2019)
• Preservation Award, awarded by the Baltimore Heritage for the restoration and rehabilitation of the Marburg House, 6 E. Eager Street, Baltimore (2019){{cite web| url = https://baltimoreheritage.org/preservation-awards/thank-you-for-celebrating-with-us-at-our-2019-preservation-awards/| title = Thank you for celebrating with us at our 2019 Preservation Awards! | date = 21 June 2019| accessdate = 15 July 2019| first = Johns| last = Hopkins}}

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• {{cite web| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220210050321/https://www.charlesbelfoure.com/| title = Official website (charlesbelfoure.com)| url = https://www.charlesbelfoure.com/| archive-date = 10 February 2022}}

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:Architects from Baltimore

Category:Writers from Baltimore

Category:21st-century American novelists

Category:American historical novelists

Category:Pratt Institute alumni

Category:Columbia University alumni

Category:Pratt Institute faculty

Category:Novelists from Maryland

Category:Novelists from New York (state)