''Belle du Seigneur'' is a 1968 novel by the Swiss writer Albert Cohen. Set in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

in the 1930s, the narrative revolves around a Mediterranean Jew employed by the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

, and his romance with a married Swiss aristocrat. The novel is the standalone third part in a series of four; it follows ''

Solal of the Solals ''Solal of the Solals'' (french: Solal) is a 1930 novel by the Swiss writer Albert Cohen. It was published in English in 1933. It was Cohen's first novel, and the first part in a loosely connected series of four; it was followed by ''Nailcruncher ...

'' and ''

Nailcruncher ''Nailcruncher'' (french: Mangeclous) is a 1938 novel by the Swiss writer Albert Cohen. It is the second part in a loosely connected series of four; it was preceded by '' Solal of the Solals'', and followed by '' Belle du Seigneur'' and ''Les Val ...

'', and precedes ''Les Valeureux''. It received the

Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française Le Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1914, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French litera ...

Reception

Emma Klein of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' wrote in 1995: "Notwithstanding passages of lyricism which rival the '' Song of Songs'', ''Belle du Seigneur'' is more than a love story. At root, with its superb, minutely observed satire of human pretensions and frailties, its frequent, haunting allusions to death lurking in wait, it is the scriptural ' Vanity of Vanities' made pulsating, exuberant flesh."

Film adaptation

An English-language film adaptation starring

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films ''Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus'' (1999), '' Bend It Like ...

and

Natalia Vodianova Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova ( rus, Наталья Михайловна Водянова, , nɐˈtalʲjə mʲɪˈxajləvnə vədʲɪˈnovə; born 28 February 1982), nicknamed Supernova, is a Russian model, actress and United Nations Goodwill ...

was completed in 2012 and was released in Russia in November and in France in June 2013.

References

External links

''Belle du Seigneur''
on the Gallimard website (French publisher) 1968 novels Éditions Gallimard books French-language novels Novels by Albert Cohen Novels set in the 1930s Novels set in Geneva Swiss novels adapted into films Swiss romance novels Historical romance novels {{1960s-romance-novel-stub

Reception

Film adaptation

See also

References

External links