Hecate and Her Dogs [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Paul Morand (Author), David Coward (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

The narrator, sent to an African country to run a branch of a large French bank, indulges in a liaison with Clotilde; only to discover in her unexpected and shocking depths of perversity. This elegant novella of disturbing eroticism was the book with which Morand returned triumphantly to the literary scene in 1954. It explores territory very different in tone from his earlier, mildly shocking cosmopolitanism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Morand was a citizen of the world, with a sharp eye and a neat turn of phrase" The Tablet "With insolence as his only baggage, this hurried man traveled across the continent with an insatiable curiosity towards his contemporaries (...) Modern, humorous and cynical, Paul Morand's prose has documentary value that will never go out of fashion" Lire.fr"

About the Author

Paul Morand (1888–1976) was a diplomat, novelist, poet, traveler, and socialite. He is the author of The Allure of Chanel and Venices.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pushkin Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1901285804
• ISBN-13: 978-1901285802
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hecate and Her Dogs, November 13, 2009

By 

Stephen Balbach (Ashton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hecate and Her Dogs (Paperback)

`Hecate and Her Dogs` (French 1954) was first translated to English in 2009 in an artfully produced little book by Pushkin Press. It's on the surface a disturbing novella, sort of a mix of `Jekyll and Hyde` and `Lolita`, but darker, dealing with an evil perversion. The title alludes to it in an elliptical manner. This sort of ellipsis is the style of the book, rarely is anything said explicitly, although on occasion the truth comes clear with devastating force, hanging on a single innocent word or phrase. It is a literary novel, not entirely an erotic story, yet at its core a hellish portrayal of sexual addiction seeking new and greater thrills. In the Afterword, Unberto Pasti says the book is best seen as "camp", that Morand was really writing about his wife, who he apparently disliked at the time (although it is doubtful she had the perversions depicted here). Nicholas Lezard, reviewing in The Guardian, sees it as autobiographical. Moran in real-life was a "Collaborator" with the Nazi's during WWII. Just as the fictional character collaborates with a perverse partner to his own demise, as did Moran in the 1940s. Whatever the case, it's a story that will stick with you and haunt you with what is left unsaid. Our own imagination can be taken to heights of evil with such polite and gentlemanly turn of phrase. I often found myself shocked that it such a book could have been written in 1954, and unsurprised that no English translation appeared until now - but this is a great work of literature. Like Emile Zola's classic The Earth: La Terre - first published in France in 1887 but not properly translated into English until 1980 because of its sexual taboos - `Hecate and Her Dogs` has finally found a publisher and hopefully will be (re) discovered and earn a reputation among English readers.