''Hecate and Her Dogs'' () is a 1954 novel by the French writer Paul Morand. It is set in

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

in the 1920s, where a foreigner working for a bank takes on a mistress, who turns out to be sexually perverse, possibly a criminal. An English translation by David Coward was published in 2009.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's''

Nicholas Lezard Nicholas Andrew Selwyn LezardThe Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991, Cambridge University Press, p. 814 is an English journalist, author and literary critic. Background and education The Lezard family went from London to Ki ...

wrote in 2009: "It is exactly because we are not provided with the details that the book is so unnerving. In effect, it is anti-pornography. Yet it is about a woman who, if her crimes were made public, would, we are led to believe, be vilified and damned as much as any contemporary abuser we can think of." Lezard continued: "I would not go to the firing squad saying that this book is about Morand's wartime guilt. (He did, by the way, make it to the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

in 1968.) It is as creepy when considered purely as being about sex as about anything else. But this is why it's worth buying even this very short book for £10. It sticks with you."

Adaptation

The French-Swiss film ''

Hécate ''Hécate'' is a 1982 French-Swiss drama film directed by Daniel Schmid. It is based on the 1954 novel '' Hecate and Her Dogs'' by Paul Morand. It was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Bernard Giraudeau as Julien ...

'' was directed by Daniel Schmid and stars Bernard Giraudeau and

Lauren Hutton Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton; November 17, 1943) is an American model and actress. Born and raised in the southern United States, Hutton relocated to New York City in her early adulthood to begin a modeling career. Though she was ini ...

. It premiered in 1982 and played in competition at the

33rd Berlin International Film Festival The 33rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 18 February to 1 March 1983. The festival opened with the out of competition film, ''Tootsie'' by Sydney Pollack. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British film '' Ascendancy'' ...

References

External links

Publicity page
at the British publisher's website {{Paul Morand 1954 French novels French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels by Paul Morand Novels set in Tangier Novels set in the 1920s