Cousin Bette

Cousin Bette (1846), long considered Balzac's last great novel, is a key work in his Comedie humaine. Grounded in a meticulous documentation of contemporary France, this tale is set in the prosperous Paris of Louis-Phillipe and details a jealous woman's campaign of persecution against her own family. This new translation has an introduction by David Bellos which sets this work in its social, historical, and literary context.

<b>Kathleen Raine</b>, the renowned British translator, poet, critic, and editor, was recently awarded the distinguished title of Comman-deur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.<br><br><b>Francine Prose’s</b> most recent novel, <i>Blue Angel</i>, was a 2000 National Book Award finalist. A contributing editor at <i>Harper’s</i> magazine, she writes for many publications, including <i>The New York Times</i> and <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>.