Laurie Lico Albanese is an accomplished American author, well-known for her historical and literary fiction books. With a strong interest in exploring the lives of women in history, Albanese has written several novels that bring to light the stories of remarkable women. Her work often intertwines themes of love, passion, and courage with art and literature.
One of Albanese's most notable works is her 2022 novel, Hester, a prequel and retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlett Letter. In Hester, Albanese introduces readers to Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress who moves to Salem in 1829 and inspires Hawthorne's first novel. This captivating tale offers a fresh perspective on the classic story, shedding light on the character of Hester and her influence on Hawthorne's work.
In addition to Hester, Albanese is the author of Stolen Beauty, a novel about two Viennese women whose lives are intertwined with Gustav Klimt and his painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer. This immersive story delves into the intimate lives of the women and their relationships with Klimt, art, and the tumultuous times they lived in. Albanese also co-authored The Miracles of Prato, a book about the renaissance painter Fra Filippo. Her novels have received critical acclaim and have been translated into several languages, including Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Croatian.
Beyond her work as an author, Albanese is an award-winning novelist and journalist. She has received several prestigious awards, including a Catherine R. Dodge Foundation Visiting Fellowship to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a Hadassah-Brandeis Research Award, and a New Jersey State Council of the Arts Fellowship in Fiction Writing. Albanese has also taught literature and writing workshops at Wagner College, Stonecoast Summer Writing Program at the University of Southern Maine, and other institutions. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and rescue dogs, where they raised their two grown children.