Courtesan and Countess

The Lost and Found Memoirs of the French Consul's Wife

Jana Verhoeven, Alan Willey, and Jeanne Allen

NOT YET PUBLISHED

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Published 01-12-2015
ISBN 9780522868845
Pages 288
Subjects History
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Céleste de Chabrillan, former courtesan and widow of the first French Consul to Melbourne, became the most prolific female stage writer in nineteenth-century France. Forever haunted by her scandalous past, Céleste fought to hold her place in an artistic world dominated by men.

Courtesan and Countess tells the story not only of her struggle as a creative artist to survive and earn a living, but also of her fascinating life at the centre of the bohemian circles of Paris, surrounded by friends such as Alexandre Dumas père, Georges Bizet and Prince Napoléon. Courtesan and Countess paints a portrait of a remarkable woman and of the turbulent world of Paris during the Belle Epoque.

Lost for more than eighty years until discovered by the authors in the attic of a French country manor, these are the unpublished and final set of memoirs from Céleste de Chabrillan.

About The Author

Jana Verhoeven is a researcher and teacher of French literature and history at the University of Melbourne. Her most recent publication is Jovial Bigotry: Max O'Rell and the Transnational Debate over Manners and Morals in 19th Century France, Britain and the United States. Jana has also published a number of articles on nineteenth century French…

About The Author

Alan Willey read Modern Languages at Oxford and taught French at Wesley College Melbourne for over thirty years. He has been researching Céleste de Chabrillan's life since 1998.

About The Author

Jeanne Allen studied French language and literature at the University of Melbourne and wrote her Master of Arts thesis on a selection of the Australian works of Célste de Chabrillan. In 1998, she co-translated and annotated Céleste's second set of memoirs, The French Consul's Wife. Jeanne is currently an Associate Professor in Education.