THE MISTRESS OF PARIS: THE 19TH-CENTURY COURTESAN WHO BUILT AN EMPIRE ON A SECRET
Book ID/图书代码： 00530016B90028
English Summary/英文概要： The Mistress of Paris was awarded the runner-up’s prize in the 2012 Biographers’ Club Tony Lothian competition.
The biography traces the incredible tale of the bewitching courtesan, the Countess Valtesse de la Bigne, who clawed her way up from humble, impoverished origins to become one of the most sought-after and glamorous women in Paris. Her lovers included countless painters, writers and politicians, while her affairs with women caused a scandal in turn-of-the-century Paris. She was painted by édouard Manet, she negotiated the country’s political affairs with Léon Gambetta, she wrote a novel and in turn inspired the novelist Emile Zola, who immortalised her in his scandalous fiction Nana (1880). With the wealth she acquired, she lived a luxurious lifestyle, and purchased fabulous mansions, carriages and an art collection which made her the envy of connoisseurs across Europe.
Nothing could have predicted the trajectory Valtesse’s life would take. Born Louise Delabigne, she spent her childhood playing on the backstreets of one of the most squalid quarters of Paris. The little girl’s only respite from her miserable life with a promiscuous mother and an alcoholic stepfather, was the touching friendship which she developed with the landscape painter Camille Corot. But these fleeting moments of happiness were short-lived.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 《巴黎妓女》获得了2012年传记类作品竞赛亚军。
传记追溯了高级妓女Valtesse de la Bigne伯爵夫人从卑微平穷的出生，一步一步往上爬，最终成为巴黎最有魅力、最炙手可热的女人。她的情夫包括数不清的画家、作家和政治家，而她与女性的同性关系一度成为19世纪末20世纪初巴黎社会的一大丑闻。édouard Manet曾为她作画，Léon Gambetta曾与她商谈国家政治事务，她写了一部小说，而这部小说给了小说家Emile Zola无限灵感。凭借着自己获得的财务，她过着奢侈的生活，购买豪宅、豪车以及艺术收藏品，令她成为欧洲鉴赏家嫉妒的对象。
没有人可以预测到她的生命轨迹，她出生时名叫Louise Delabigne，童年是在巴黎最肮脏污秽的后街上玩耍度过的。她的母亲淫乱随便，她的继父嗜酒如命，她悲惨的童年中唯一值得欣慰的就是与风景画家Camille Corot之间的友谊，然而，这转瞬即逝的美好时光是那么短暂。
她在青少年时期所遭遇的第一次痛苦、凶残的性关系给她留下了深刻的创伤，也揭露了另一层社会阴暗面。Louise的遭遇不可避免的将她的生活推向了酒精与卖淫。后来，她与一名看似不错的男子坠入爱河，却最终被抛弃，还留下两个女儿，于是，她做出了一个激进的决定，从此，她不再是那个可爱温顺的Louise，她要成为受人崇拜的女性，她要得到财富，她要成为一名“社交名媛”（高级妓女）。
……
19世纪70年代，Valtesse的名声达到顶峰，美丽、财富、时尚、聪慧、果断，有才华的作家、钢琴家……似乎没有什么是她无法获得的。她饱读诗书，充实自己，尤其关注自己的仪表。她为名声狼藉的交际花提供辅导，她与拿破仑三世的绯闻成为报纸花边新闻的头条。
这本传记剖析了 Valtesse冷酷、精明的外表下真实的内心，向读者展示了一个复杂的人物性格，触及了其性格中脆弱的一面。书中的女人，一方面追求闪光灯下的众人瞩目，一方面又希望保持神秘。在她快要离世时，她亲笔给所有认识的人写信，告诉他们她已经过世了。世人一直都不解的是：为何她要选择死后埋在连她最亲密的朋友都不知道的两个男人中间。(LYR)
Awards/获奖情况：“通过直接尖锐的询问以及机敏的观察，作者Catherine Hewitt追溯了一名高级妓女从污秽卑微到声名显赫的人生历程。语言优美，人物形象生动耀眼。”（传记俱乐部大奖）
“非常棒，作者非常有天赋。”
“非常迷人的一部故事，既有说服力，由带有怜悯。”《观察家》
“作者生动剖析了作为一名19世纪高级妓女的危险而荣耀的一生。”《每日电讯报》
“细节充分，观察入微，本书是一部很棒的传记！”（法国杂志）
“书中充满了各类丑闻，会令你越看越想看。”
‘Through incisive enquiry and astute observation, Catherine Hewitt traces the courtesan’s flight from squalor to splendour, her prose sparkling in the light of her luminous subject.’ (The Biographer’s Club prize)
’Innately fascinating’ (All About History)
’An enthralling story, told with both conviction and sympathy’ (The Observer)
’A handsome boudoir book’ (Irish Examiner)
’[Hewitt] offers an intriguing insight into the precarious glamour of life as a 19th-century courtesan’ (The Daily Telegraph)
’Full of detail and astute observation, the book is a remarkable tale’. (France Magazine)
’Plenty of scandal that will have you curled up with this book for hours’. (Living France Magazine)
’Riveting.’ (The Bookseller)
About the Author/作者介绍： Catherine Hewitt 在学术领域工作了很多年，尤其喜欢19世纪法国艺术、文学和社会史。
在伦敦大学获得法语学士一等荣誉学位后，她前往著名的考陶尔德艺术学院攻读19世纪法国艺术史硕士。2012年，她完成了19世纪法国文学与艺术专业博士研究。在其学术生涯中，她定期在各大会议上发表著作，在各类学术期刊上发表文章，并获得了无数大学奖项。
完成博士学位后，Catherine开始尝试写作运用学术将历史和人物联系起来，展现给主流读者。现在，她围绕19世纪法国艺术、文学社会史进行写作、举办讲座和各类研讨班。同时，她也是一位翻译。
Catherine 现居萨里的一个村庄，不工作时，她会帮助修葺家里的木屋，此外，她也喜欢烹饪、读书、遛狗和散步。
Catherine Hewitt has had a long career in academia, with a special interest in 19th-century French art, literature and social history.
Having been awarded a first-class honours degree in BA French from Royal Holloway, University of London, she went on to attend the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art where she took a Masters in the History of 19th-Century French Art and was awarded a distinction. In 2012, she completed her PhD on The Formation of the Family in 19th-Century French Literature and Art, with joint supervision from Royal Holloway and the Courtauld Institute. Throughout her academic career, she has regularly presented papers at conferences, published work in academic journals and was awarded numerous university prizes.
On completing her PhD, Catherine set out to use her academic training to bring history and people alive for a mainstream audience. She now writes, lectures and runs workshops on 19th-century French art, literature and social history. She also works as a freelance translator, and her portfolio includes a translation of a permanent exhibition of the work of the radical French female painter Suzanne Valadon for a gallery near Limoges in France.
Catherine lives in a village in Surrey. When she is not working, she can be found helping restore her family’s cottage in the middle of rural France, cooking, reading and enjoying country walks with her dog, Alfie.
Format:
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：Rights Sold
UK: Icon
USA: St Martin’s Press
Poland: Kobiece
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