The Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (Paperback)

~ Vicomte De Guilleragues (Author), Gabriel De Lavergne (Author), Guido Waldman (Translator)

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Product Description

The "Portuguese Letters" were published anonymously in 1669, alleged translations into French of letters written by a Portuguese nun to a French officer who had loved and left her. Recent scholarship suggests Guilleragues was their author. Reminiscent of the exchanges between Heloise and Abelard of an earlier time, the letters display a remarkable acuity of psychological insight into the mind of a woman in love and on the edge of hysteria.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Harvill Press (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860460348
• ISBN-13: 978-1860460340
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #804,370 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating exploration of passion, November 21, 2000

By	M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

These letters, originally published in 1669 as an "instant success" deserve to become an "instant success" again. They are of uncertain origin and authenticity; however, the strength of the contents makes their authenticity academic. In five letters, we see the psychological movement from blind, passionate love to an awareness of having been used - while still valuing the lessons of what passion is possible in the heart. We see this movement through the letters of a young Portuguese nun who was seduced by a French military officer serving in Portugal. While this is a work of the 17th century, the insight into human nature could well have been written yesterday - the culture and the date are no barrier to the text.