Cousin Bette

"Bette is a wronged soul; and when her passion does break, it is, as Balzac says, sublime and terrifying," wrote V. S. Pritchett. A late masterpiece in Balzac's La Com die Humaine, Cousin Bette is the story of a Vosges peasant who rebels against her scornful upper-class relatives, skillfully turning their selfish obsessions against them. The novel exemplifies what Henry James described as Balzac's "huge, all-compassing, all-desiring, all-devouring love of reality."


About the Author
Kathleen Raine, 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.

Francine Prose's most recent novel, Blue Angel, was a 2000 National Book Award finalist. A contributing editor at Harper's magazine, she writes for many publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.