{"product_id":"the-lily-in-the-valley-paperback","title":"The Lily in the Valley - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eHonor? de Balzac\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003ePeter Bush\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eGeoffrey O'Brien\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA new translation of one of Balzac's finest novels, this tale of misguided passion centers on a young aristocrat who falls into a cloaked, coded entanglement with an older countess--a relationship that is upended when he becomes involved with a new lover.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A story of impossible and unsatisfied desire, Balzac's \u003ci\u003eThe Lily in the Valley\u003c\/i\u003e opens with a scene of desire unleashed. F?lix de Vandenesse, the shy teenage scion of an aristocratic family, is at a ball, when his eyes are drawn to a beautiful woman in fashionable undress: before he knows what he is doing, he throws himself upon her, covering her bare back with kisses. In shock, she pushes him away. He leaves the party in shame. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The woman at the party is Henriette de Mortsauf, married to a much older count. Time passes, and F?lix is reintroduced to her. Nothing is said of what transpired, though nothing is forgotten, and a courtship begins whose premise is that F?lix will worship Henriette without displaying the least sign of desire. He waits on her. He plays endless board games with her impossible husband. He develops a language of flowers and presents her with elaborately coded bouquets. F?lix and Henriette are in a swoon, until he departs for Paris to pursue a career in politics and takes up with the uninhibited Arabella Dudley. Meanwhile Henriette is on her deathbed. She writes him, \"Do you remember your kisses? They have dominated my life and furrowed my soul. . . . They are my death!\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Lily in the Valley\u003c\/i\u003e is a terrible fairy tale of two people lost in a game of love--or is it? Peter Bush's new translation brings out the psychological dynamics of one of Balzac's masterpieces.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHonoré de Balzac\u003c\/b\u003e (1799-1850), one of the greatest and most influential of novelists, began his career as a pseudonymous writer of sensational potboilers before achieving success with a historical novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Chouans\u003c\/i\u003e. Balzac then conceived his great work, \u003ci\u003eLa Comédie humaine\u003c\/i\u003e, an ongoing series of novels in which he set out to offer a complete picture of contemporary society and manners. Always working under an extraordinary burden of debt, Balzac wrote some eighty-five novels in the course of his last twenty years. Also available from NYRB Classics are Balzac's \u003ci\u003eThe Unknown Masterpiece\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Memoirs of Two Young Wives\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Human Comedy: Selected Stories\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Bush\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning translator who has translated several books for NYRB Classics, including Josep Pla's \u003ci\u003eThe Gray Notebook\u003c\/i\u003e, Ramón del Valle-Inclán's \u003ci\u003eThe Tyrant Banderas\u003c\/i\u003e, and Joan Sales's \u003ci\u003eUncertain Glory\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in the UK. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeoffrey O'Brien\u003c\/b\u003e is an American poet, editor, book and film critic, translator, and cultural historian. He served as Editor-in-Chief of The Library of America for several years. His latest book, \u003ci\u003eArabian Nights of 1934, \u003c\/i\u003e will be published in June 2023. He lives in Brooklyn.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 280\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.1 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 23, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51763423052064,"sku":"9781681377988","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/1879ddebe5d303377444f287cb3f8b0a.webp?v=1780235195","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-lily-in-the-valley-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}