Book description
Now the basis for the major BBC tv adaptation The Paradise,
this is a lavish drama and a timeless commentary on consumerism. The
Penguin Classics edition of mile Zola's The Ladies' Delight is
based on an acclaimed, vivid and modern translation by Robin Buss, who
has also introduced the novel.
The Ladies' Delight is the glittering Paris department store
run by Octave Mouret. He has used charm and drive to become director
of this mighty emporium, unscrupulously exploiting his young female
staff and seducing his lady customers with luxurious displays of
shimmering silks, satins, velvets and lace. Then Denise Baudu, a na ve
provincial girl, becomes an assistant at the store - and Mouret
discovers that he in turn can also be enchanted. With its greedy
customers, gossiping staff and vibrant sense of theatre, The
Ladies' Delight (Au Bonheur des Dames in the original
French) is one of the most richly exciting novels in Zola's Les
Rougon-Macquart cycle.
This edition also contains a bibliography, introduction, chronology
and explanatory notes.
Emile Zola (1840-1902) was the leading figure in the French school
of naturalistic fiction. His principal work, Les
Rougon-Macquart, is a panorama of mid-19th century French life, in
a cycle of 20 novels which Zola wrote over a period of 22 years,
including Au Bonheur des Dames (1883), The Beast Within
(1890), Nana (1880), and The Drinking Den (1877).
'A complete page-turner about the consumer society, greed, fashion
and instant gratification'
India Knight
'A fine translation'
The Times Literary Supplement
mile Zola (1840-1902) was the leading figure in the French school
of naturalistic fiction. His principal work, Les Rougon-Macquart, is a
panorama of mid-19th century French life, in a cycle of 20 novels
which Zola wrote over a period of 22 years.
Robin Buss is a translator and journalist. He has translated a
number of works for Penguin Classics, including works by Dumas and
Sartre, and most recently, Zola's L'Assommoir (The Dram-Shop).
Robin Buss is a translator and journalist. He has translated a
number of works for Penguin Classics, including works by Dumas and
Sartre, and most recently, Zola's L'Assommoir (The Dram-Shop).
