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Catherine-Paris
Catherine-Paris (1927) est un fragment autobiographique, fantasque et codé. Paris, Vienne, Berlin, Rome, ou les derniers feux de cette "internationale des princes" avant l'extinction finale par la Grande Guerre.
- GenresRomanian Literature
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
About the author
Martha Bibescu
53 books33 followersMartha Bibescu (also known as the Princess Marthe Bibesco) was a Romanian-French writer of the Belle Époque. Bibesco's papers are at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Born Marta Lucia Lahovary (also spelled Lahovari) in Bucharest as the third child of Ioan Lahovary and Princess Emma Mavrocordat, Marthe spent her childhood at the Lahovary family estates in Balotești and the fashionable French sea-resort of Biarritz. On her first introduction into society, in 1900, she met Crown Prince Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Romanian throne, but after a secret engagement of one year, Marthe married at seventeen Prince George III Valentin Bibescu (Bibesco), scion of one of the country's prestigious aristocratic families. I stepped onto the European stage through the grand door, she wrote on her wedding day. Her father, who had been educated in France, held the post of minister of the Kingdom of Romania in Paris and, later, that of minister of foreign affairs of Romania.
Fluent in French at an early age (even before she could speak Romanian), Marthe spent the first years of her marriage under the tutelage of her mother-in-law, Princess Valentine Bibesco (née countess Riquet de Caraman-Chimay), who saw to it that the extensive education in European history and literature Marthe already had was reinforced. An old peasant woman, Baba Uța [Outza], saw to it that she was also well-versed in Romanian folk traditions and tales. Meanwhile, her husband, George, was chasing fast cars and other women, but adding to the family fortune at the same time.
Born Marta Lucia Lahovary (also spelled Lahovari) in Bucharest as the third child of Ioan Lahovary and Princess Emma Mavrocordat, Marthe spent her childhood at the Lahovary family estates in Balotești and the fashionable French sea-resort of Biarritz. On her first introduction into society, in 1900, she met Crown Prince Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Romanian throne, but after a secret engagement of one year, Marthe married at seventeen Prince George III Valentin Bibescu (Bibesco), scion of one of the country's prestigious aristocratic families. I stepped onto the European stage through the grand door, she wrote on her wedding day. Her father, who had been educated in France, held the post of minister of the Kingdom of Romania in Paris and, later, that of minister of foreign affairs of Romania.
Fluent in French at an early age (even before she could speak Romanian), Marthe spent the first years of her marriage under the tutelage of her mother-in-law, Princess Valentine Bibesco (née countess Riquet de Caraman-Chimay), who saw to it that the extensive education in European history and literature Marthe already had was reinforced. An old peasant woman, Baba Uța [Outza], saw to it that she was also well-versed in Romanian folk traditions and tales. Meanwhile, her husband, George, was chasing fast cars and other women, but adding to the family fortune at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 19, 2019
Istorie, dragoste și alte delicii...
"Ca toate ființele cu adevărat curate la suflet, habar n-avea că are și simțuri. Ceea ce ea credea că vine din inimă, venea doar de la ele."
"Cuvintele nu ne dezvăluie decât ceea ce știm deja."
"Doamna Leopolska știa că unele femei slabe pierd dragostea înainte de vreme, altele - scapă de ea; unele rămân cu rană multă vreme, altele, rău alcătuite, precum nebuna Guyon, mor din cauza acestei sarcini care nu se vede."
"Ca toate ființele cu adevărat curate la suflet, habar n-avea că are și simțuri. Ceea ce ea credea că vine din inimă, venea doar de la ele."
"Cuvintele nu ne dezvăluie decât ceea ce știm deja."
"Doamna Leopolska știa că unele femei slabe pierd dragostea înainte de vreme, altele - scapă de ea; unele rămân cu rană multă vreme, altele, rău alcătuite, precum nebuna Guyon, mor din cauza acestei sarcini care nu se vede."
March 18, 2017
O carte ca o bijuterie literară. Am descoperit în Martha Bibescu o scriitoare fascinantă, care scrie cu delicatețe, dar și cu mare profunzime.
Am scris mai multe despre carte pe blog: https://dorinadanila.com/2017/03/19/c...
Am scris mai multe despre carte pe blog: https://dorinadanila.com/2017/03/19/c...
November 28, 2013
I started reading the first pages of this book with a slight fear of too much "girliness" and romance but I ended up recommending it to quite a few of my book loving friends.
A lovely book to read anytime and anywhere! On one hand, we have an ode to a Paris of wonders, of love and cover from everything threatening (unloving husband, controlling in-laws, war) where a lovely young girl turns into a breathtaking woman. On the other hand (and this is how I knew I genuinly like the book), we deal with strong characters placed in historically crucial moments and locations!
I simply fell in love with Martha Bibescu's narrative skills and delicious dialogues building the historical contexts of the plot.
Nice! Nice! Nice!
A lovely book to read anytime and anywhere! On one hand, we have an ode to a Paris of wonders, of love and cover from everything threatening (unloving husband, controlling in-laws, war) where a lovely young girl turns into a breathtaking woman. On the other hand (and this is how I knew I genuinly like the book), we deal with strong characters placed in historically crucial moments and locations!
I simply fell in love with Martha Bibescu's narrative skills and delicious dialogues building the historical contexts of the plot.
Nice! Nice! Nice!
October 12, 2013
Am inceput cartea cu mari asteptari, pentru ca nu mai citisem nimic de Martha Bibescu, dar auzisem atatea despre ea.
Spune foarte multe faptul ca, in original, a scris-o in franceza: toata este o elogie adusa Parisului (prezent inca din titlu!!), care poate fi scuzata in contextul Belle Epoque, dar a carei exaltare pare usor exagerata si dusa de extrem.
Personajul principal, copie fidela a scriitoarei ca personalitate si destin, ajunge in vizita la curtile din Berlin, Viena si Sankt Petersburg, dar tuturor le gaseste cusur, toti sunt niste amarati si barbari fata de francezi."Europa va fi franceza sau nu va fi deloc", cum spune ea. Desi si personajul este fiica unui muntean si a unei moldovence, nascuta la Bucuresti, ce-i drept crescuta si educata in Paris.
Atitudinea aceasta aroganta ajunge sa fie obositoare si arunca in umbra stilul subtil de scriere, nuantele pline de ironie inteligenta si aluziile literare care fac cinste culturii scriitoarei - uneori atat de multe aluzii incat notele explicative ocupa jumatate de pagina.
Spune foarte multe faptul ca, in original, a scris-o in franceza: toata este o elogie adusa Parisului (prezent inca din titlu!!), care poate fi scuzata in contextul Belle Epoque, dar a carei exaltare pare usor exagerata si dusa de extrem.
Personajul principal, copie fidela a scriitoarei ca personalitate si destin, ajunge in vizita la curtile din Berlin, Viena si Sankt Petersburg, dar tuturor le gaseste cusur, toti sunt niste amarati si barbari fata de francezi."Europa va fi franceza sau nu va fi deloc", cum spune ea. Desi si personajul este fiica unui muntean si a unei moldovence, nascuta la Bucuresti, ce-i drept crescuta si educata in Paris.
Atitudinea aceasta aroganta ajunge sa fie obositoare si arunca in umbra stilul subtil de scriere, nuantele pline de ironie inteligenta si aluziile literare care fac cinste culturii scriitoarei - uneori atat de multe aluzii incat notele explicative ocupa jumatate de pagina.
October 23, 2013
A must read for young women!
August 22, 2016
A very enjoyable read. As its title implies, the book has 2 heroines, Catherine and Paris (the girl being named Catherine-Paris in homage to the martyrdom of the city during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870). Catherine is the grand-daughter of some prince from Moldavia, but she is noble by nature as well as by blood, whereas Adam, the Polish prince she makes the mistake of marrying is the epitome of the aristocratic cad. Fascinated by Catherine's beauty, Adam is tricked into marrying her by his own mother, hellbent on her only son begetting a son so that the Zamosc estate remains under her control. Adam, whose only pleasure is to pursue creatures in flight, be they animals or women, quickly tires of his wife just because she is his for good. At first, Catherine remains a model of virtue, but eventually she falls in love with an inventor and pilot, who has the advantage of being French and therefore, more civilized. Unfortunately they wait until the beginning of the first world war to make up their minds, at which point Catherine, who holds an Austrian passport, becomes an "enemy" of her lover. In her naivety, she hopes her in-laws will help up get her marriage annulled, but of course, everybody conspires to prevent her from getting a divorce, which would put paid to any hope of keeping Zamosc in the family. When she falls pregnant with Robert's child, her mother-in-law makes sure Catherine's confessions of adultery never reach anyone. This being the case, when Catherine's son is born, he is legally Adam's heir. And that's where Bibesco lost me: the book ends on a note of triumph, with Catherine swearing to her old tutor that she will make a perfect little Frenchman of her son. Why would her mother-in-law, who has spent years plotting for the birth of this all-important heir, let Catherine keep control of him? Léonille Léopolska is a wonderful villain, and Bibesco's satirical depictions of the futile pursuits of a degenerate aristocracy are wickedly funny and spot-on. On the other hand, her lyrical descriptions of the beauty of Paris and the greatness of French civilization, while sometimes a bit fulsome, also read well because they are so obviously heart-felt. It's a great pity then that the book ends in a manner both abrupt and illogical.
January 25, 2019
Sincer am fost și surprins și lăsat puțin dezamăgit de această carte. Surprins datorită modului în care aflat scrisă ( plină de naratiune, cred că a conținut maxim patru linii de dialog, și nici descrierea nu a fost abundentă). Personajul principal mi s-a părut mult mai puțin evidențiat decât celelalte și finalul m-a cam lăsat cu niște întrebări despre personaje esențiale. (Adam??) Și aș spune că am înțeles 80-85% din carte, pentru că în unele situații era un mix întrea realitate și ficțiune care nu se potrivea excepțional, dar astea sunt detalii. Oricum este o carte de 3.75 ✨ spre patru și chiar mă bucur că mi-am făcut curaj să o citesc, deoarece am descoperit că îmi plac și cărțile cu un subiect istoric. Aș fi vrut mai multă atenție asupra unor personaje și eventual asupra unor țări. Și cred că am mai subliniat câteva puncte la care consider că nu a excelat.
May 26, 2014
A remarkable novel. Very well set in history and with deep insight into the live of someone removed from his own country.
February 5, 2022
I will never not be in awe of Martha Bibescu’s writing. She depicts the tragic, shocking and ridiculous with the most beautiful language I have ever read.
“Catherine-Paris” is about the titular young lady, the grand-daughter of a Romanian princess settled in the city she is named after, the so-called capital of freedom. In a family and a society with the custom of women being used and abused by their husbands and in-laws, Catherine’s grandmother, mother and loved ones all hope that she may be able to live a happier life than them. Catherine, unfortunately, also goes through so much pain, so much unfairness you’ll want to scream at the book, and she learns the hardest of ways how simply awful other people can be. There is however hope, and she does achieve the freedom she came to desperately want as well. She goes through many changes, from innocent and naive, to jaded and hardened, to hopeful and willing to dream again.
Martha Bibescu crafted an absolutely stunning character study, a Bildungsroman even, as well as a scathing portrayal of nobility and royal society in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Some of the characters are so vile and bordering on satire, that I have no doubt that they actually existed out there.
Again, I cannot praise the writing and the language enough. It is clever, hilarious, sadistic, poetic, sincere, heart-wrenching, and the Romanian translator Magda Răduța did a spectacular job. This novel is simply stunning, I am blown away.
“Catherine-Paris” is about the titular young lady, the grand-daughter of a Romanian princess settled in the city she is named after, the so-called capital of freedom. In a family and a society with the custom of women being used and abused by their husbands and in-laws, Catherine’s grandmother, mother and loved ones all hope that she may be able to live a happier life than them. Catherine, unfortunately, also goes through so much pain, so much unfairness you’ll want to scream at the book, and she learns the hardest of ways how simply awful other people can be. There is however hope, and she does achieve the freedom she came to desperately want as well. She goes through many changes, from innocent and naive, to jaded and hardened, to hopeful and willing to dream again.
Martha Bibescu crafted an absolutely stunning character study, a Bildungsroman even, as well as a scathing portrayal of nobility and royal society in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Some of the characters are so vile and bordering on satire, that I have no doubt that they actually existed out there.
Again, I cannot praise the writing and the language enough. It is clever, hilarious, sadistic, poetic, sincere, heart-wrenching, and the Romanian translator Magda Răduța did a spectacular job. This novel is simply stunning, I am blown away.
September 5, 2023
conceptul de femeie-cloșcă
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews