Dr. Morel

by Karen Bramson

"A terse psychological thriller told in the form of case notes, diary excerpts, and letters, Bramson’s novel recounts the downfall of Leon Morel, a celebrated Parisian doctor who has made a fortune treating the neurasthenic maladies of aristocratic women whom he routinely takes as his lovers until he tires of them and moves on. Morel uses his wealth to establish a free clinic for the poor where he poisons patients who have lost all hope but continue to cling to their wretched lives. Morel considers death the greatest gift to he can give such individuals because it frees them from the burden of existence. To this end, he is aided by a beautiful young nun who has fallen under the sway not only of his charm but also of his cold logic. Egotistical, cruel, and vain, Morel is capable of great feeling and sentiment but always succumbs to his baser instincts. Contemptuous of the women he seduces, he falls deeply in love with Lucienne d’Aubray, an innocent youth who believes there is good in Morel despite his infamous reputation. Morel’s genuine love for Lucienne, however, does not satiate his physical lusts, and he is repeatedly unfaithful to her, endlessly confessing his transgressions. Unable to stop himself from driving Lucienne to despair, Morel decides to kill her to end her misery. Originally published in Danish in Copenhagen in 1906, the novel was first published in English in Great Britain as THE CASE OF DR. MOREL (A. M. Philpot) in 1926. Karen Bramson (1875-1936) was a Danish author primarily noted for her plays during her lifetime. Her works often explored the oppression of women in marriage and female masochistic tendencies, themes that lurk in the background of DR. MOREL." - Boyd White

211 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_B...

LIST OF WORKS
Den unge Frue. Mands Vilje (The Young Lady. Man’s Will; 1900, two plays in Danish published together,)
Mødre (Mothers; 1901, play in Danish also translated into German)
Den Stærkeste (The Strongest; 1902, play in Danish also translated into English as Professor Klenov, into French and Arabic.)
Det lyriska versdramat Berengaria, Dronning af Danmark (Berengaria, Queen of Denmark, in lyrical verse; 1904, play in Danish)
Livets Glæde (Life's Joy; 1905, in Danish also translated into Finnish)
Vore Kælebørn (skrevet af et af dem) (Our Pet Children (written by one of them); 1905, play four acts in Danish)
Dr Morel (1906, novel in Danish, also translated into English by David Stanley-Alder as The Case of Dr. Morel, into French, Russian and Bulgarian)
Pengene (The Money; 1908, novel in Danish),
Ærtehalm (Peas in a Pod; 1909, play in Danish by Karen Bramson and Gustav Wied)
Lykke (Happiness; 1910, in Danish)
samt Kongemagt (The King; 1911, play in Danish also translated into German and Russian)
Mennesker af vor Tid (People of our Time; 1916, novel in Danish also into French by Karen Bramson as Une femme libre)
Det store Drama (The Great Drama; 1922, novel in Danish also translated into French as Parmi les hommes)
De evige Fjender(The Eternal Enemies; 1923, play in Danish also translated into English as Tiger Cats and into French as les félines)
Des yeux qui s'ouvrent (Eyes that Open; 1925, play in French)
The Godless (1925 play translated into English)
Le dictateur (The Dictator; 1925 play in French )
The Man They Buried (1928, comedy translated into English by Bertha Murrey, 1928)
La femme fatale (1926, in French, also translated into English as Medusa or The Enchantress
The Tower of Babel (1929, play)
Nous, les barbares... (We the Barbarians ...; 1929, novel in French, also translated into Spanish)
Théâtre (1929–30; Compendium of 12 of Karen Bramson's plays in French in four volumes: L'argent {une famille-l'enfer-La tour de Babel}, L'amour {Le professeur Klenow-Méduse-Le Bonheur}, La foi {L'orgueilleux-L'homme qui a compris-Les yeux qui s'ouvrent} and La haine {Le dictateur-Les félines-Depuis l'aurore des temps})
Men (1930)
Une amoureuse (A Lover; 1930, in French, also translated into Spanish)
Une nuit d'amour (A Night of Love; 1931, in French also translated into Norwegian)
Un seul homme (One Man; 1932, novel in French)
En Nat (One Night; 1932, novel in Danish)
Star (1933, novel in French)
Lueur dans nos ténèbres (Light Among our Shadows; 1935, novel in French)