(Lezen) Buugaag The Devil in the Flesh
By Raymond Radiguet
Hailed by Jean Cocteau as a "masterpiece," and by the Guardian as "Bret Easton Ellis's
Less Than Zero, avant la lettre," this taut tale written by a teenager in the form of a
frank "confession" is a gem of early twentieth century romanticism. Long unavailable
in the U.S., it is here presented in a sparkling new translation. Set in Paris during the
First World War, it tells the story of Francois, the 16-year-old narrator, who falls in
love with Marthe, an older, married woman whose husband is off fighting at the
front. What seems to begin as a charming tale of puppy love quickly darkens, and
they launch into a steamy affair. In the tense environment of the wartime city, their
love takes on a desperation transcending their youthfulness.And as the badly-kept
secret of their relationship unfolds, scandal descends, leading the story to a final,
startling conclusion?and causing the book itself to become a scandal when it was first
published in 1923, just before the author's death at the
