Edith Wharton & the French Riviera

by Philippe Collas, Eric Villedary

Edith Wharton's love affair with the French Riviera began in 1919, and continued to the end of her days. She found there a microcosm of the sort of society that had always fascinated her, that she described in her classic novels. Between the two world wars, the whole region was a playground for film stars, magnates, and her neighbors included Wallis Simpson, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, and Dorothy Parker. For Edith Wharton, the Riviera was at once a haven where she could write to her heart's content, and a terrifyingly superficial world.

This fascinating book is a study of this world as it existed when Edith Wharton arrived, and how the region changed over the years. Richly illustrated with both contemporary and vintage photographs, it is a hugely evocative portrait of the Golden Age of the Riviera. Edith Wharton on the Riviera is a rare a taste of the fabulous lifestyle of the privileged classes that has now vanished forever.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Philippe Collas or Philippe Collas-Villedary is a French writer and scriptwriter who is famous for his historical and criminal thrillers. As the great-grandson of Pierre Bouchardon, the man who arrested Mata Hari, his biography about her is considered a notable reference.

Reviews

[Nicholas Hudson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nice pictures, but amazingly inaccurate writing. Newport, Rhode Island is apparently in Connecticut. Walter Berry is Wharton's cousin. Newland Archer from "The Age of Innocence" is a woman. Impressive in a way.