Book description
These three stories, about a trio of independent young women, are set
in London-a city Paul Morand loved and which continued to fascinate him
long after he worked there as an attaché at the French embassy from 1913
to 1916.
Composed around the time of the First World War, these stylish, poetic
and highly original tales came as a breath of fresh air on the French
literary scene of the Twenties. They made an immediate impact on writers
as diverse as Cocteau and Giraudoux, as well as Marcel Proust, a great
friend and supporter of Morand, who subsequently contributed a foreword
for the book.
Paul Morand-diplomat, writer and socialite, friend of Proust and
Malraux-was one of the most original authors of the twentieth century.
Born in Paris in 1888 and educated at the École des Sciences
Politiques, he joined the Diplomatic Corps, serving in London, Rome,
Berne and Bucharest. In a long and busy life, he found time to write
poetry, novels, short stories and travel books. Morand's reputation
suffered after the Second World War, during which he collaborated with
the Vichy regime, but in 1963 he was made a member of the Académie
Française. He was married to the Romanian princess Hélène Soutzo and
died in Paris in 1976.
Euan Cameron is an editor and translator. His many translations
from French include biographies of Marcel Proust and Irène Némirovsky,
as well as Paul Morand's Venices and The Allure of Chanel, both for
Pushkin Press.
