
Produced by Daniel Fromont
In a sun‑lit corner of a modest Parisian greenhouse, the young Myrtô reclines on a narrow chair, her golden hair spilling over a delicate headband, eyes closed yet haunted by a quiet dread. The room is fragrant with violets and early lilacs, a fragile sanctuary that seems to hold her still while the world outside prepares to strip her of the only family she knows. Though only seventeen, she already feels the weight of an imminent orphanhood that threatens to render her invisible in a city that does not remember her name.
Myrtô is the product of a passionate, uneasy union between a Greek artist, Christos Elyanni, and a Hungarian countess, Hedwige Gisza, whose love blossomed amid social scandal and artistic idealism. Their marriage, marked by both deep affection and mismatched temperaments, led them from Greece to Paris in search of fame and stability—goals that remained frustratingly out of reach. As Myrtô faces the loss of her mother and the disappearance of her modest pension, the story hints at the difficult choices she must make to survive in a world that offers little mercy to a young exile.
Language
fr
Duration
~6 hours (353K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
Apr 6, 2009
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
A bestselling French romance voice of the early 20th century, this name actually belonged to a brother-and-sister writing team. Their novels were hugely popular with readers for decades, known for dramatic emotion, idealized heroines, and a strong sense of moral struggle.
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