
A determined French activist, long‑familiar with socialist theory, sets out to witness the fledgling Soviet experiment firsthand. After being denied a passport, she resolves to travel by any means, rejecting both official channels and the hesitant support of comrades. Her resolve is fueled by a mixture of idealism and curiosity about a society in transition from capitalism to communism.
The narrative follows her secretive trek from Paris toward the Swiss border, where she adopts a modest disguise and fabricates a vacation to Brittany. Boarding trains under a false name, she endures the nervous pulse of illegal travel, the prying eyes of border officials, and the subtle yet palpable gender biases of the era. Along the way, vivid descriptions of bustling stations, sun‑lit fields, and cautious interactions with strangers bring the atmosphere of post‑war Europe to life, hinting at the challenges that await her beyond the frontier.
Language
fr
Duration
~4 hours (273K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
France: Marcel Giard, 1922.
Credits
Laurent Vogel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica))
Release date
2022-12-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1874–1939
A pioneering French psychiatrist and fierce feminist, she challenged the limits placed on women in medicine, politics, and everyday life. Her life joined radical ideas with constant public action, making her one of the boldest voices of her time.
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