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Les Entremetteurs et autres nouvelles
Edith Wharton puise ici son inspiration dans le milieu qui l’a vu naître : la haute société américaine du début du XXe siècle, celle qui passait l’hiver sur la Cinquième Avenue, se précipitait l’été à Newport et voyageait en Europe. Derrière le ton léger de la plupart de ses nouvelles, elle montre les contradictions inhérentes de l’âme humaine, celles qui creusent un gouffre entre l’être intime et l’être social, trop souvent sujet à la pression du monde dans lequel il évolue. C. du P. et A. de M. Le recueil comprend : « Les entremetteurs » / « Giboulées de mars » / « Sables mouvants » / « L’art d’écrire un récit de guerre » / « La guérison » / « La mission de Jane » / « La descendance de l’homme » / « Les réfugiés ». Traduction et présentation de Claire du Parc et Aude de Mézerac.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2006
10 people want to read
About the author
Edith Wharton
1,487 books5,320 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 16, 2020
Une excellente découverte que l'écriture d'Edith Wharton, qui dépeint avec humour, ironie et parfois un peu de tendresses les usagés et travers de la "bonne société" Américaine de la Belle Époque, et qui arrive à surprendre en parfois peu de pages. Expérience à renouveler avec d'autres de ses oeuvres pour vérifier cette bonne impression !
April 17, 2022
This particular selection of (translated) Edith Wharton stories is new to me, and some are really outstanding. Also, the more you read Wharton the better she gets.
June 19, 2023
4/5
Coup de coeur pour la plume d'Edith Wharton, à la fois mordante, drôle et pétillante, si révélatrice d'une époque. Ses nouvelles étaient succulentes et il me tarde de découvrir maintenant ses chefs-d'œuvre !
Coup de coeur pour la plume d'Edith Wharton, à la fois mordante, drôle et pétillante, si révélatrice d'une époque. Ses nouvelles étaient succulentes et il me tarde de découvrir maintenant ses chefs-d'œuvre !
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews