
The story opens amid the riotous chaos of Seville’s Carnival, where streets overflow with color‑splashed children, fluttering fans, and the clamor of egg‑selling vendors. André Stévenol drifts through the revelry, feeling the sting of an unfulfilled romance after a fleeting encounter with a mysterious young woman who hands him a red bouquet and then vanishes. The vivid descriptions of the city’s historic avenues, the towering Giralda, and the bustling Guadalquir river paint a world where desire and disappointment mingle like the swirling confetti.
As the festivities wane, André’s restless longing draws him deeper into the crowd, where whispers of a captivating figure named Concha Perez begin to surface. Their brief, tantalizing exchanges hint at a connection that could turn the carnival’s fleeting thrills into something more personal—and possibly more dangerous. The first act sets the stage for a tangled dance of attraction, intrigue, and the thin line between being a lover and a puppet in the vibrant tapestry of Andalusian life.
Language
fr
Duration
~2 hours (145K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Chuck Greif and http://www.ebooksgratuits.com/
Release date
2008-10-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1870–1925
A daring French writer of the fin de siècle, he became famous for sensual, highly polished novels and poems that drew on classical themes. His work moved between lyric beauty, eroticism, and literary mischief, making him one of the most distinctive voices of his era.
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