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DEBUT NOVEL | HISTORICAL FICTION

This mesmerizing novel about love and tolerance resurrects a fabulous period in time, but also brings to life the unusual story of the great painter, Paul Signac, and his two lovers.

Charlotte Hellman’s smart and unapologetic writing takes us deep into the heart of Paul Signac’s love life and into the core of the great painter’s fierce creativity. He was a hard worker, an athlete, a passionate creator, politically and artistically engaged alongside avant-garde artists and friends such as Van Gogh, Monet, Seurat, Fénéon, Bonnard… The end of the century, the tragedy of World War I, and the artistic vitality of the period make up a rich background for this story about love and tolerance.

The author’s inquisitive mind unfolds these three intertwined fates, backed up by family memories and an extensive epistolary correspondence.

This is a fascinating immersion within the intimacy of extraordinary characters. Paul Signac and his two lovers succeeded in conquering their freedom during a normative and rigid time. They were three dazzling and undoubtedly modern beings.

Charlotte Hellman worked in publishing for 12 years. Today, she is in charge of the Signac Archives in Paris. This is her first novel.