PSYCHE

by Pierre Louÿs

The code of government of the legendary (Anatole France's) mythic King Pausole prescribed but two laws for his the first being, Hurt no man, and the second, Then do as you please. Pierre Louÿs, pseudonym of Pierre Louis (1870-1925), was a French novelist and poet who expressed pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection. Louÿs frequented Parnassian and Symbolist circles and was a friend of the composer Claude Debussy. He founded various literary reviews, notably La Conque in 1891. His Chansons de Bilitis (1894), prose poems about Sapphic love, purporting to be translations from the Greek, deceived even experts. Aphrodite (1896), a novel depicting courtesan life in ancient Alexandria, made him famous and it became the best-selling work by any living French writer (350,000 copies).

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

Pierre Louÿs was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection". He was made first a Chevalier and then an Officer of the Légion d'honneur for his contributions to French literature.

Born in Belgium, in 1870, but moved to France where he would spend the rest of his life. He was a friend of authors André Gide and Oscar Wilde, and of composer Claude Debussy.

Reviews

[Lady Amelia, Duchess Of The Bread · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was somehow really trashy but cute and unbelievable yet way too real. I should have liked to read the ending for myself but alas it was lost.