The Illusion (Dansons la trompeuse) 1922 Raymond Escholier ~ Lady Northcliffe Prize winning novel

Title: The Illusion (Dansons la trompeuse)

Author: Raymond Escholier

Description: First Edition. Boards in olive-green cloth with ivory title stamped on spine and decoration on front cover. Light wear to covers. Interior is clean and unmarked. 218 pages.

The first novel by the French writer, poet and critic, Raymond Escholier (1882-1971). It was first published in Paris in 1919 under the title Dansons la trompeuse. In 1921 it won the Prix Northcliffe (the Lady Northcliffe Prize), an all female-juried prize for the most important French fiction of the year.

The story concerns a gentlewoman, poverty stricken in her old age and striving to retain the illusion of youth, and is set in the countryside in the south of France and among the country folk.

''an almost impeccable bit of artistry... M. Escholier has conveyed a sense of this frail creature's charm--a charm that triumphed over poverty almost amounting to squalor, over her raddled complexion and spotted clothing--with a perfection of artifice that comes very close, if it does not actually achieve, high art... [it] gives an unforgettable picture of the scene in which this brave little spark of the fire of life quivered for a moment and disappeared into the darkness.'' - the Providence Sunday Journal, 9 July 1922.

Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons | The Knickerbocker Press
Place: New York and London
Year: 1922

Keywords: Prix Northcliffe, Northcliffe Prize, novel, old age,