| The Mistress of Paris: The 19th-Century Courtesan Who Built an Empire on a Secret Contributor(s): Hewitt, Catherine (Author), Nichols, Sarah (Read by) |
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ISBN: 147086052X ISBN-13: 9781470860523 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks OUR PRICE: $26.96 Product Type: MP3 CD - Other Formats Published: January 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Women - Biography & Autobiography | Historical - History | Europe - France |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.3" W x 7.5" (0.30 lbs) |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Sex & Gender - Feminine - Cultural Region - French |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne was painted by Edouard Manet and inspired Emile Zola, who immortalized her in his scandalous novel Nana. Her rumored affairs with Napoleon III and the future King Edward VII kept gossip columns full.But her glamorous existence hid a dark secret: she was no comtesse. She was born into abject poverty, raised on a squalid backstreet among the dregs of Parisian society. Yet she transformed herself into an enchantress who possessed a small fortune, three mansions, fabulous carriages, and art the envy of connoisseurs across Europe. A consummate show-woman, she ensured that her life―and even her death―remained shrouded in just enough mystery to keep her audience hungry for more.Spectacularly evoking the sights and sounds of mid- to late nineteenth-century Paris in all its hedonistic glory, Catherine Hewitt's biography tells, for the first time ever in English, the forgotten story of a remarkable woman who, though her roots were lowly, never stopped aiming high. |
Contributor Bio(s): Hewitt, Catherine: - Catherine Hewitt studied French literature and art history at Royal Holloway, University of London, and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her proposal for The Mistress of Paris was awarded the runner-up prize in the 2012 Biographers' Club Tony Lothian Competition for the best proposal by an uncommissioned, first-time biographer. She lives in a village in Surrey, England. |
