What do you think?
Rate this book
L'aimée
Lorély, intellectuelle et salonnière réputée, inspire à la narratrice un amour passionnel et destructeur. Celle-ci en oublie sa tendre amie, Ione, qui en meurt de chagrin. Lorély l’infidèle devient alors celle par qui le drame est arrivé. Viennent d’autres amantes, figures salvatrices ou démons séducteurs, brouillant les pistes dans le jeu amer de tromperie et de pardon qui oppose et réunit tour à tour la narratrice et Lorély.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1904
39 people are currently reading
3732 people want to read
About the author
Renée Vivien
131 books168 followersRenée Vivien, born Pauline Mary Tarn, was a British poet who wrote in the French language. She took to heart all the mannerisms of Symbolism, as one of the last poets to claim allegiance to the school. Her compositions include sonnets, hendecasyllabic verse, and prose poetry.
Renée's poetry and novels show several sources of inspiration: Natalie Barney, Violet Shilleto, Pierre Louys, and Sappho. Natalie inspired retellings of their relationship through prose and poem. Violet Shilleto, Renée's childhood friend and love who died in 1901, appears in Renée's work through repeated images of violets and the color purple. Pierre Louys's sensual "Songs of Bilitis" and Sappho's evocative poems about women-love influenced Renée's poetic style. Sappho, in particular, became an icon for Renée--she translated the work of Sappho into modern French, and even traveled with Natalie to Lesbos in an attempt to revive a women's artist colony on the island.
Renée's poetry and novels show several sources of inspiration: Natalie Barney, Violet Shilleto, Pierre Louys, and Sappho. Natalie inspired retellings of their relationship through prose and poem. Violet Shilleto, Renée's childhood friend and love who died in 1901, appears in Renée's work through repeated images of violets and the color purple. Pierre Louys's sensual "Songs of Bilitis" and Sappho's evocative poems about women-love influenced Renée's poetic style. Sappho, in particular, became an icon for Renée--she translated the work of Sappho into modern French, and even traveled with Natalie to Lesbos in an attempt to revive a women's artist colony on the island.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
June 19, 2024
“She drew closer to me. Her entire being was in revolt against the horror of the real, against the ugliness and the baseness of the real” (24).
A Woman Appeared to Me was published in French in 1904, rewritten and republished in 1905, and is presented here as a pair, in a sensitive but quirky translation by the late, great science-fiction novelist and obsessive translator of decadent literature Brian Stableford. The novels are one part extended meditation on gay desire, one part overwrought symbolist prose poem, and one part bitter, misandrist recounting of the author’s relationship with Natalie Barney—irresistible American heiress and blonde heartthrob of the turn-of-the-century Paris lesbian scene.
“I hate Vally [Natalie] passionately. I would see her suffer with delight; and yet I would give my brain and my blood to spare her the slightest anguish. I can do no more. I love her” (212).
Unsurprisingly, Natalie Barney was unimpressed by her portrayal, written when the lovers were no longer on speaking terms: “When I re-read those two novels,” she said, “I get the unpleasant feeling of having posed for a bad portrait artist” (xvii).
“Lorely [also Natalie] was, by turns, a Byzantine princess, a young English lord whose slim build and fine clothes François I might have noticed in the Field of the Cloth of Gold, an unhealthy and cruel infanta, a wandering minstrel without any other wealth than his harp. ... Feverishly, she chose and rejected fabrics and jewelry. ‘I’m always similar to myself,’ she sighed” (27).
The 1904 version is far superior. My impression is that Vivien rewrote the novel, first and foremost, as a kind of apology to all the people she had insulted. In cutting what was hurtful, she also cut much of what grounded the novel; the material that made it feel like someone’s life, rather than a dream. But there is something to be said for reading both, for seeing many of the best passages recontextualized, the symbolism refined, the misandry toned down, the novel’s doubling become quadrupling. I read the 1905 version first and the 1904 version second, as they are printed here and as Stableford recommends. This, too, makes sense—the 1905 version is a fever dream that the 1904 version extends and enriches. But it is a risky choice, to read them in that order—because if you were only to read one, 1904 is far and away the one to read.
“‘Never follow advice, even one of those that I give you. Every individual ought to live their personal life and pay dearly for the experience that proves nothing’” (121).
Overdone and underdeveloped—and yet the novels have a sensitivity, an intensity of feeling, that makes them feel like indispensable landmarks in the history of queer literature. I love their open celebration of Lesbian desire and of women’s beauty; their open disdain for men, marriage, and motherhood; the charged symbolism that justifies their lack of structure and story.
“‘I believe that the Unnameable, the Incomprehensible, is a double thought, a hermaphrodite thought. Everything that is ugly, unjust, ferocious and cowardly emanates from the Male Principle. Everything that is dolorously beautiful emanates from the Female Principle’” (132).
Perhaps most of all, I love the novels’ peculiar blend of hedonism and spirituality. To be a woman who loves other women, for Renée Vivien, is the highest expression of the human soul. It is pure pleasure and pure sorrow. Only the language of God, of religion can do it justice.
“‘I’ve loved to the limit of my strength,’ I said, defending myself. ‘No one has the right to ask any more of a human being’” (240).
A Woman Appeared to Me was published in French in 1904, rewritten and republished in 1905, and is presented here as a pair, in a sensitive but quirky translation by the late, great science-fiction novelist and obsessive translator of decadent literature Brian Stableford. The novels are one part extended meditation on gay desire, one part overwrought symbolist prose poem, and one part bitter, misandrist recounting of the author’s relationship with Natalie Barney—irresistible American heiress and blonde heartthrob of the turn-of-the-century Paris lesbian scene.
“I hate Vally [Natalie] passionately. I would see her suffer with delight; and yet I would give my brain and my blood to spare her the slightest anguish. I can do no more. I love her” (212).
Unsurprisingly, Natalie Barney was unimpressed by her portrayal, written when the lovers were no longer on speaking terms: “When I re-read those two novels,” she said, “I get the unpleasant feeling of having posed for a bad portrait artist” (xvii).
“Lorely [also Natalie] was, by turns, a Byzantine princess, a young English lord whose slim build and fine clothes François I might have noticed in the Field of the Cloth of Gold, an unhealthy and cruel infanta, a wandering minstrel without any other wealth than his harp. ... Feverishly, she chose and rejected fabrics and jewelry. ‘I’m always similar to myself,’ she sighed” (27).
The 1904 version is far superior. My impression is that Vivien rewrote the novel, first and foremost, as a kind of apology to all the people she had insulted. In cutting what was hurtful, she also cut much of what grounded the novel; the material that made it feel like someone’s life, rather than a dream. But there is something to be said for reading both, for seeing many of the best passages recontextualized, the symbolism refined, the misandry toned down, the novel’s doubling become quadrupling. I read the 1905 version first and the 1904 version second, as they are printed here and as Stableford recommends. This, too, makes sense—the 1905 version is a fever dream that the 1904 version extends and enriches. But it is a risky choice, to read them in that order—because if you were only to read one, 1904 is far and away the one to read.
“‘Never follow advice, even one of those that I give you. Every individual ought to live their personal life and pay dearly for the experience that proves nothing’” (121).
Overdone and underdeveloped—and yet the novels have a sensitivity, an intensity of feeling, that makes them feel like indispensable landmarks in the history of queer literature. I love their open celebration of Lesbian desire and of women’s beauty; their open disdain for men, marriage, and motherhood; the charged symbolism that justifies their lack of structure and story.
“‘I believe that the Unnameable, the Incomprehensible, is a double thought, a hermaphrodite thought. Everything that is ugly, unjust, ferocious and cowardly emanates from the Male Principle. Everything that is dolorously beautiful emanates from the Female Principle’” (132).
Perhaps most of all, I love the novels’ peculiar blend of hedonism and spirituality. To be a woman who loves other women, for Renée Vivien, is the highest expression of the human soul. It is pure pleasure and pure sorrow. Only the language of God, of religion can do it justice.
“‘I’ve loved to the limit of my strength,’ I said, defending myself. ‘No one has the right to ask any more of a human being’” (240).
November 24, 2020
"Lesbians, suffering the double disqualification of being female and gay, have been repeatedly dispossessed of their history."
Although Renée Vivien is remembered as a poet, this is a fiction novel, not poetry, the genre under which some appear to have filed it.
This is a novel about her relationship with the famous Natalie Barney and her intimate friendship with Violet Shillito in 1904 Parisian society. However, this is neither a romantic novella nor a sexual book by any means.
I picked up this book from the Women Student Union in college and just got to it now. It was in a pile of old books that the board was trying to replace for a newer selection that might attract more readers. After getting halfway through the essay, I decided to go back and reread with a pad of mini stickies in hand. Normally I highlight in my books, but to do so here seemed a shame. I wrote in pencil instead. Before even having reached the story, I found myself making notes in every page. I devoured drip by drip the bibliographical note, the intro, the afterword, acknowledgments, and footnotes, which have been so carefully assembled. The actual writing of Vivien was left for the next day because this book clearly deserves to be taken in slowly. Thank you to the contributors to this reprinting for providing this background. I myself am discovering not only Renée Vivien for the first time but the (Parisian) lesbian society of the Belle Époque as well. The intro inspired me to create a new bookshelf of works just from this period, especially those referenced in this little history. By the time I finished, I was overwhelmed with what I had discovered and am now set to finding a copy of Une Femme m'apparut to read it in the original French (similar to Vivien reading Sappho in the original Greek :) ) After doing a little digging on the publisher, I was shocked to discover that not only was it the largest lesbian publishing house, but it had been previously based in my little southern town of Tallahassee. The company that acquired it, Bell Books, is also based in Tallahassee, which would be a dream to work at if I wasn't leaving so soon.
The story was compelling to the point where I found myself sometimes forgetting this was written 103 years ago because her commentary was contemporary and revealed the issues of the Belle Epoque that remain relevant today. After finishing the novel, I went back to the beginning to reread the introduction and successfully squeezed some more juice out of it. Discovering this little gem of a book has been an unexpected joy. It is evident how the work of uncovering these artists and characters from the past has itself been washed away. It is almost as if we form a chain, each generation disconnected by an erasure of history, yet linked by womanhood and through our courageous predecessors. I too, while reading about these women's legacy, have found myself among the "new generation of lesbian feminists in search of their ancestry."
Although Renée Vivien is remembered as a poet, this is a fiction novel, not poetry, the genre under which some appear to have filed it.
This is a novel about her relationship with the famous Natalie Barney and her intimate friendship with Violet Shillito in 1904 Parisian society. However, this is neither a romantic novella nor a sexual book by any means.
I picked up this book from the Women Student Union in college and just got to it now. It was in a pile of old books that the board was trying to replace for a newer selection that might attract more readers. After getting halfway through the essay, I decided to go back and reread with a pad of mini stickies in hand. Normally I highlight in my books, but to do so here seemed a shame. I wrote in pencil instead. Before even having reached the story, I found myself making notes in every page. I devoured drip by drip the bibliographical note, the intro, the afterword, acknowledgments, and footnotes, which have been so carefully assembled. The actual writing of Vivien was left for the next day because this book clearly deserves to be taken in slowly. Thank you to the contributors to this reprinting for providing this background. I myself am discovering not only Renée Vivien for the first time but the (Parisian) lesbian society of the Belle Époque as well. The intro inspired me to create a new bookshelf of works just from this period, especially those referenced in this little history. By the time I finished, I was overwhelmed with what I had discovered and am now set to finding a copy of Une Femme m'apparut to read it in the original French (similar to Vivien reading Sappho in the original Greek :) ) After doing a little digging on the publisher, I was shocked to discover that not only was it the largest lesbian publishing house, but it had been previously based in my little southern town of Tallahassee. The company that acquired it, Bell Books, is also based in Tallahassee, which would be a dream to work at if I wasn't leaving so soon.
The story was compelling to the point where I found myself sometimes forgetting this was written 103 years ago because her commentary was contemporary and revealed the issues of the Belle Epoque that remain relevant today. After finishing the novel, I went back to the beginning to reread the introduction and successfully squeezed some more juice out of it. Discovering this little gem of a book has been an unexpected joy. It is evident how the work of uncovering these artists and characters from the past has itself been washed away. It is almost as if we form a chain, each generation disconnected by an erasure of history, yet linked by womanhood and through our courageous predecessors. I too, while reading about these women's legacy, have found myself among the "new generation of lesbian feminists in search of their ancestry."
January 13, 2014
A WOMAN APPEARED TO ME is Renée Vivien's feverish, dream-like account of her tormented relationship with her muse & mistress, Natalie Clifford Barney
The more I love a book, the less I'm able to write about it
The more I love a book, the less I'm able to write about it
Want to read
August 19, 2019This is one of 70 hardcover editions produced.
August 22, 2018
The lesbians in Vivien’s novella (all of whom are based on real people, who are named in the introduction) are so dramatic and sensual and I loved every second of it. Get yourself a girl who calls you her “High Priestess of Abandoned Altars.”
February 26, 2018
What a hazy, beautiful little story. It's odd. It's a bit terrifying. It's also somewhat uncomfortable. But damn, was it beautiful. Renée could write a sentence, believe me. Formal rtc.
March 20, 2025
They had forbidden me your hair, your eyes
Because your hair is long and fragrant
And because your eyes hold strange ardore
And become muddy like rebellious waves.
Because your hair is long and fragrant
And because your eyes hold strange ardore
And become muddy like rebellious waves.
March 29, 2025
Chère Vie,
Merci de m’avoir donné cette chance inouïe,
Que de vivre une ère où je peux lire les vers
De cette poétesse incontournable et qui m’est chère :
Renée Vivien. Avec ce roman empreint de poésie, de force et de formules qui ont donné des ailes à mon cœur, elle réussit encore une fois à me charmer, m’inspirer et m’illuminer.
Une lecture inoubliable. L’Aimée… Merci pour cette offrande, à l’atmosphère onirique, presque irréelle. Un monde de femmes lanceuses de flammes 🔥
Le charme envoûtant des ferventes amantes de Psappha.
Merci de m’avoir donné cette chance inouïe,
Que de vivre une ère où je peux lire les vers
De cette poétesse incontournable et qui m’est chère :
Renée Vivien. Avec ce roman empreint de poésie, de force et de formules qui ont donné des ailes à mon cœur, elle réussit encore une fois à me charmer, m’inspirer et m’illuminer.
Une lecture inoubliable. L’Aimée… Merci pour cette offrande, à l’atmosphère onirique, presque irréelle. Un monde de femmes lanceuses de flammes 🔥
Le charme envoûtant des ferventes amantes de Psappha.
July 19, 2017
Perfect magic for my romantic, melancholic heart
May 31, 2023
Knowing the NCB/Renee Vivian lore made this much more entertaining and interesting
November 26, 2023
lesbian icons feed my soul
January 10, 2024
is this indescribably well written or am i just a dyke
December 30, 2023
3.5 stars overall.
******
Story 1 (1905): 2 stars.
Was this well written? Yes. Was it beautiful? Absolutely. But did I enjoy it? Not particularly. It was certainly descriptive, but not of the things I wanted to know about. You'd get paragraphs about flowers and hands and faces, but precious little about Lorely, the woman the unnamed protagonist loved. This story felt like it was conceived during a fever dream, and although it had the potential to be 3 or more stars, it just felt too insubstantial to get more than 2.
Story 2 (1904): 4 stars.
This was the opposite of the first story. Even though some paragraphs, plot points and names were the same, it was a completely different narrative. It was so substantial and when I looked back at it, I realised how much the author had fitted into a mere 130 pages. The romance - or rather, the unrequited love - was described in detail, and the characters and their environment were fleshed out. I felt like the protagonist's issues were dealt with much more sensitively than in the first story, and the conversations between the characters actually showcased their personalities rather than just being there for the sake of it.
This story even caused me to get out my pencil and sticky tabs, even though my annotating supplies have been retired for several months. It was quotable and beautiful, and I feel like everyone who has ever been in love - or even just had a crush - can relate to it in some capacity. I might even reread it one day. Who knows?
******
Because the 1904 story was the one I wanted to read (I was surprised when the edition I received as a gift contained two stories), my rating is closer to 4 stars than to two.
******
Story 1 (1905): 2 stars.
Was this well written? Yes. Was it beautiful? Absolutely. But did I enjoy it? Not particularly. It was certainly descriptive, but not of the things I wanted to know about. You'd get paragraphs about flowers and hands and faces, but precious little about Lorely, the woman the unnamed protagonist loved. This story felt like it was conceived during a fever dream, and although it had the potential to be 3 or more stars, it just felt too insubstantial to get more than 2.
Story 2 (1904): 4 stars.
This was the opposite of the first story. Even though some paragraphs, plot points and names were the same, it was a completely different narrative. It was so substantial and when I looked back at it, I realised how much the author had fitted into a mere 130 pages. The romance - or rather, the unrequited love - was described in detail, and the characters and their environment were fleshed out. I felt like the protagonist's issues were dealt with much more sensitively than in the first story, and the conversations between the characters actually showcased their personalities rather than just being there for the sake of it.
This story even caused me to get out my pencil and sticky tabs, even though my annotating supplies have been retired for several months. It was quotable and beautiful, and I feel like everyone who has ever been in love - or even just had a crush - can relate to it in some capacity. I might even reread it one day. Who knows?
******
Because the 1904 story was the one I wanted to read (I was surprised when the edition I received as a gift contained two stories), my rating is closer to 4 stars than to two.
May 13, 2021
WHEW oh Christ this book is absolutely delightful. I think it messed with my mental health because although it is incredibly obvious that the narrator needs help and care it still had a bit of a dangerous amount of influence. But it is absolutely gorgeously written and stunning and dreamlike and wonderful. I love the characters very much and the narrator has kind of a clumsiness that I find silly and funny. I think it is funny how much they just all sit in a group and talk about how much they absolutely detest men. I think it is also funny how much time they spend gatekeeping sappho. But I adore miss viviens writing style and this book is basically just like a very long prose poem it is so pretty. It is most definetely a loose autobiography and most of the characters can be directly assigned to folks the author knew in life. It is so melodramatic and poetic and perfect my god. I read a PDF and now I DESPERATELY need a copy so I can highlight jsut about every sentence . I did not really care for the ending, it wasn't terrible just kind of bland but this book absolutely slaps immeasurably I adore it. When I make more progress in french class maybe I will read the original version woo yass!
November 19, 2023
"What I desire, recklessly, is the divine. I want a love that will never be deceived or disappointed, an endless and limitless love, a supernatural love. I want faith" (23).
"But what is certain is that it is necessary to fear happiness like a treacherous friend who insinuates himself into the house" (54).
"I dream of a death that would be a sensuality, a death that would be a consolation for life, the impossible happiness itself" (83).
These are just little pieces of the gorgeous prose that make up this novel! This was a trip and I really liked it! I like how much Dante's Inferno informed the style, the characterization, the imagery, all of it. I highly highly recommend this to everybody looking for something highly experimental and abundantly Sapphic. It's also astonishing that this was written in 1904/5, as it way predates the modernist era but reads just like that era!
"But what is certain is that it is necessary to fear happiness like a treacherous friend who insinuates himself into the house" (54).
"I dream of a death that would be a sensuality, a death that would be a consolation for life, the impossible happiness itself" (83).
These are just little pieces of the gorgeous prose that make up this novel! This was a trip and I really liked it! I like how much Dante's Inferno informed the style, the characterization, the imagery, all of it. I highly highly recommend this to everybody looking for something highly experimental and abundantly Sapphic. It's also astonishing that this was written in 1904/5, as it way predates the modernist era but reads just like that era!
July 17, 2022
virginia Woolf dreams to be her Jesus Christ this book crushed me much more than my beloved Carol
November 7, 2025
Il n'y a pas de mot assez fort pour décrire la beauté de ce livre. Renée Vivien, quelle écrivaine extraordinaire qui aimait si fort les femmes.
"L'amour aussi a ses aurores espérantes, ses midis fervents, ses couchants mélancoliques et ses longues nuits sans lune."
"Pieusement comme celles qui entrent dans un temple, j'entrerai dans ton coeur et, si j'y trouve une joie qui se fane d'être déjà vieille, je la remplacerai par une joie fraîchement déclose. J'ai l'âme pleine de fleurs..."
"L'amour aussi a ses aurores espérantes, ses midis fervents, ses couchants mélancoliques et ses longues nuits sans lune."
"Pieusement comme celles qui entrent dans un temple, j'entrerai dans ton coeur et, si j'y trouve une joie qui se fane d'être déjà vieille, je la remplacerai par une joie fraîchement déclose. J'ai l'âme pleine de fleurs..."
April 5, 2025
loveeeeeeeeeee my belle époque messy ass lesbians. THIS is écriture féminine wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee
April 2, 2019
Chaque chapitre est presqu'un poème en prose, chaque mot, chaque fleur est symbole. On retrouve les traditionnelles fleurs de Séléné, les violettes, l'inspiration Psapphique, les digitales et la lumière qui compose les poèmes de Renée Vivien, mélangé avec d'étranges amours passionnées et tristesse. Un désir de liberté total, s'affranchir du mâle et de l'attention grâce à l'amour, la passion, la musique, la beauté et l'admiration de l'autre.
Il n'y a évidemment aucun texte de Renée Vivien que je n'aime pas, c'est après trop longtemps que je découvre enfin L'aimée (ou Lorély ou Une femme m'apparut) et aucune déception, que de l'admiration, que de beauté, que de précision et que de clins d’œil à sa propre poésie, à Psappha, mais aussi à la poésie et à la musique.
Merci tant à l'éditrice d'enfin faire revivre ces textes qui n'aurait jamais dû échappé à la l'impression durant toutes ces années. La collection Les Plumées vient dépoussiérer enfin ce vieux canon masculin et L'aimée ouvre magnifiquement cette collection avec une histoire d'amours lesbiennes, de désir, de rupture, de passion, de quête de soi, de recherches, de tristesse et d'amours encore.
Ça fait plus de deux ans que je conseille La Dame à la louve presque systématiquement en librairie pour toutes ces personnes qui m'ont fait confiance, mais L'aimée va maintenant devoir prendre sa place. Un peu comme les amantes de Lorély, les oeuvres de Renée Vivien doivent aller et venir, mais toujours être aimées et désirées.
Il n'y a évidemment aucun texte de Renée Vivien que je n'aime pas, c'est après trop longtemps que je découvre enfin L'aimée (ou Lorély ou Une femme m'apparut) et aucune déception, que de l'admiration, que de beauté, que de précision et que de clins d’œil à sa propre poésie, à Psappha, mais aussi à la poésie et à la musique.
Merci tant à l'éditrice d'enfin faire revivre ces textes qui n'aurait jamais dû échappé à la l'impression durant toutes ces années. La collection Les Plumées vient dépoussiérer enfin ce vieux canon masculin et L'aimée ouvre magnifiquement cette collection avec une histoire d'amours lesbiennes, de désir, de rupture, de passion, de quête de soi, de recherches, de tristesse et d'amours encore.
Ça fait plus de deux ans que je conseille La Dame à la louve presque systématiquement en librairie pour toutes ces personnes qui m'ont fait confiance, mais L'aimée va maintenant devoir prendre sa place. Un peu comme les amantes de Lorély, les oeuvres de Renée Vivien doivent aller et venir, mais toujours être aimées et désirées.
March 24, 2019
Je suis passée à côté de ma lecture. Chaque page recèle d'une poésie lyrique assez fabuleuse, mais l'ensemble forme un récit assez poussif et répétitif, bien trop romantique à mon goût.
Cela dit, quel plaisir de voir un ouvrage de Renée Vivien à destination des jeunes lecteurices ! Cette autrice mérite d'être étudiée et connue, bravo aux éditions Talents Hauts qui ont décidé de stopper son invisibilisation !
Cela dit, quel plaisir de voir un ouvrage de Renée Vivien à destination des jeunes lecteurices ! Cette autrice mérite d'être étudiée et connue, bravo aux éditions Talents Hauts qui ont décidé de stopper son invisibilisation !
January 18, 2023
I might just be saying this because I'm a lesbian sadboy but we need more lesbian sadboy representation
February 23, 2021
Merveilleux...
June 9, 2024
Un récit d’inspiration autobiographique sur l’amour de l’autrice et les tourments de cet amour pour l’artiste Nathalie Barney. Une histoire d’amour non réciproque, une histoire tragique, passionnelle et belle à la fois. Un amour qui sera sans regret, car la souffrance sera sa preuve d’amour.
Dans ces quelques pages, l’autrice revient sur leur histoire d’amour de manière sublimée et romancée. Cependant il serait difficile pour moi de décrire ce roman. Le côté mystique et atypique de cette histoire nous interroge et nous embarque entre rêve et réalité. Un récit sous l’aspect d’un conte à la plume magnifique.
Au delà de l’amour, il y aussi des réflexions autour de la maternité, du mariage, de la religion et sur la place de l’amour et de l’amitié dans nos vies.
C’était beau, magnifique, poétique, hypnotique.
C’était la première fois que je lisais la littérature de Renée Vivien et j’ai beaucoup aimé !
Dans ces quelques pages, l’autrice revient sur leur histoire d’amour de manière sublimée et romancée. Cependant il serait difficile pour moi de décrire ce roman. Le côté mystique et atypique de cette histoire nous interroge et nous embarque entre rêve et réalité. Un récit sous l’aspect d’un conte à la plume magnifique.
Au delà de l’amour, il y aussi des réflexions autour de la maternité, du mariage, de la religion et sur la place de l’amour et de l’amitié dans nos vies.
C’était beau, magnifique, poétique, hypnotique.
C’était la première fois que je lisais la littérature de Renée Vivien et j’ai beaucoup aimé !
June 16, 2020
I think this book is best approached as an extended work of poetry. Vivien is a poet and it shows. This book is harrowing and relentless in it's portrayal of a deeply troubled love affair, and of Barney, who is such a fascinating woman in her own right. It is unapologetically lesbian, and simultaneously treats lesbianism as nothing to take note of, takes it for granted, which is refreshing and dare I say ballsy. Also, I had a good amount of background knowledge coming into this book, and it felt sort of like being in on a joke, which is always fun.
March 30, 2025
yearning final boss
February 13, 2024
A René Vivien un 10 y a Mado Martínez un 11, porque tremenda traducción. Al principio me agobiaron un poco tantas notas a pie de página, pero ahora solo puedo decir GRACIAS GRACIAS GRACIAS!!! leer esta novela sin conocer todo el embrollo sáfico de la época no habría sido lo mismo, y ahí ha estado Mado tremendísima explicando todo, incluso dando la explicación del final que toda lesbiana y bisexual sabe (al parecer los señor0s académicos le han dado otra interpretación al final ...) Aquí como siempre nos quedamos con las interpretaciones que hacen las académicas sáficas intensas!!!
Merci René y Gracias Mado❤️
Merci René y Gracias Mado❤️
December 2, 2024
4.25
Wow. J’AI FINI!! J’ai lu ce livre depuis le 28 Novembre 2023— un peu plus que une annee. De habitude, je lis un livre en 5 jours ou un semaine. Mais il est bien, non? Rester avec un livre, ses personnages, son langue.
J’aime ce livre. Renne Vivien etait un grand auteur— sa poesie dans ce petit roman est grand et manifique. Je ne comprend pas tout les temps, mais quand je comprende…mon ame etait heureuse.
Je voudrais lire ce livre encore quand mon français est plus bien. Peut-être alors je comprend Lorley et sa crueltie!
(But I read literature in French??)
Wow. J’AI FINI!! J’ai lu ce livre depuis le 28 Novembre 2023— un peu plus que une annee. De habitude, je lis un livre en 5 jours ou un semaine. Mais il est bien, non? Rester avec un livre, ses personnages, son langue.
J’aime ce livre. Renne Vivien etait un grand auteur— sa poesie dans ce petit roman est grand et manifique. Je ne comprend pas tout les temps, mais quand je comprende…mon ame etait heureuse.
Je voudrais lire ce livre encore quand mon français est plus bien. Peut-être alors je comprend Lorley et sa crueltie!
(But I read literature in French??)
March 26, 2023
Un libro pieno di sofferenza eppure in neanche una parola è assenta la felicità che si prova nell’amare. Nell’amare una donna o l’amore in se e la sofferenza, la paura che questo sentimento conserva. Tutto è presente nelle parole della Vivien. C’è un epoca stupenda,posti idilliaci, scenari magici. Sogni quei luoghi, brami quei luoghi allo stesso modo in cui brami il linguaggio. Il sogno di un tempo lontano in cui credi di essere appartenuta. Questo il libro ti fa desiderare e ricordare.
October 12, 2024
I’ve been reading this one for a long time. Some gem lines, especially about men, and an interesting window into a troubled person’s life. But overall the writing (maybe the fault of the translation) did not come across as skilled. More interesting as a historical artifact than as a piece of literature.
February 7, 2024
3,5 ou 3,75
trop beau trop bien mais histoire qui se perd mais vu que c surtout sur les sentiments c'était nice bravo les lesbiennes.
trop beau trop bien mais histoire qui se perd mais vu que c surtout sur les sentiments c'était nice bravo les lesbiennes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews