Woman and Puppet, Etc (Classic Reprint) - Couverture souple

Louÿs, Pierre

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1333542380 ISBN 13 : 9781333542382

Editeur : Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

A vivid tale of desire and disguise set against Seville’s Carnival bustle. In this early romantic work, a young man’s chance meeting with a striking Andalusian woman sets off a pursuit through crowded streets, glittering carriages, and whispered promises. The mood blends antiquity and modern life, balancing physical allure with a thoughtful, cerebral longing.

The book frames love, memory, and the lure of mystery as it follows a fleeting moment that lingers in the mind. Sensual detail sits beside meditations on beauty, identity, and the power of suggestion, inviting readers to consider how fantasy shapes desire.

• Vivid street scenes and carnival atmosphere that bring Seville to life.


• An intimate encounter that sparks a pursuit and a lasting question about what truly lasts in love.


• Interwoven reflections on beauty, gesture, and the pull of the unknown.


• A look at how memory can elevate a single moment into a shaping force for later choices.

Ideal for readers who enjoy lush, mood-driven fiction that blends romance with philosophical introspection.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

During the carnival in Seville, the Frenchman André Stévenol meets and falls under the spell of Conception 'Concita' Perez, a young Andalusian woman. His friend, don Mateo Diaz warns him off by describing his own history with the woman – a history of being repeatedly attracted and then rebuffed by her. Conchita continually flirted with other men to torture don Mateo. On each occasion he was made to feel guilty for his jealous thoughts and actions towards her, until he realised finally that he had been her puppet for fourteen months and in an explosion of passion he beat her. She then astonished him by declaring the violence a sign of the strength of his love and came to his bed. She was a virgin. Although the two then started living together, she continued her flirtatious behaviour towards other men and simultaneously became very possessive. Don Mateo left the country and travelled for a year to escape her. This is a fantastic novel which exposes and analyzes the contradictions in romantic feelings and the self-defeating psychology and twisted logic of love. Its setting is perfect for its theme: Carnival, Seville, Spain, 1896. Its characters, aristocratic libertines who live for their dalliances. When Don Mateo learns that his friend Andre Stevenol has arranged to meet Concepcion ‘Conchita’ Perez he tells him the story of his impassioned, disastrous, erotic, and obsessive pursuit of her which unfolded over months as she alternately promised herself to him then frustratingly withheld her affections, over and over again, insisting on his framing his requests just so, then abruptly and coldly turning her back to him. It is a short novel but one which expounds the internal conflicts and inconsistencies of the human heart in a way that only the richest most well-crafted artistic works can. In Conchita Pierre Louys has created a sexily inscrutable seductress who may just be an honest woman. Her willfulness and cupidity makes her so much more desirable than anyone Don Mateo has ever met before. And he is the aging, lecherous, bon vivant whose romantic philosophy crashes up against the will of a woman whose mystery and allure is more powerful than anything else he has ever encountered. There’s a beautiful little grace note of an epilogue which is perfectly in keeping with the fable-like narration of this story. It adds yet another delicious irony onto this bonbon of a psycho-sexual continental soap opera about the decadent and their desires.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Forgotten Books
• Date d'édition: 2018
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1333542380
• ISBN 13: 9781333542382
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 264
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Copytech (UK) Ltd, Trading as Printondemand-worldwide.com; gpsr@podww.com; ; 9 Culley Court; Orton Southgate; Peterborough; Cambridgeshire; PE2 6WA; Royaume-Uni
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