''Hecate and Her Dogs'' () is a 1954 novel by the French writer

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was m ...

. It is set in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

in the 1920s, where a foreigner working for a bank takes on a mistress, who turns out to be sexually perverse, possibly a criminal. An English translation by David Coward was published in 2009.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

's''

Nicholas Lezard Nicholas Andrew Selwyn LezardThe Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991, Cambridge University Press, p. 814 is an English journalist, author and literary critic. Background and education The Lezard family went from London to ...

wrote in 2009: "It is exactly because we are not provided with the details that the book is so unnerving. In effect, it is anti-pornography. Yet it is about a woman who, if her crimes were made public, would, we are led to believe, be vilified and damned as much as any contemporary abuser we can think of." Lezard continued: "I would not go to the firing squad saying that this book is about Morand's wartime guilt. (He did, by the way, make it to the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 1968.) It is as creepy when considered purely as being about sex as about anything else. But this is why it's worth buying even this very short book for £10. It sticks with you."

Adaptation

The French-Swiss film '' Hécate'' was directed by

Daniel Schmid Daniel Walter Schmid (26 December 1941 – 5 August 2006) was a Swiss theatre and film director. Biography In 1982, his film ''Hécate'' was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. His film ''Beresina, or the Last Days of Sw ...

and stars

Bernard Giraudeau Bernard René Giraudeau (18 June 1947 – 17 July 2010) was a French sailor, actor, film director, scriptwriter, producer and writer. Early life He was born on 18 June 1947 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime. In 1963 he enlisted in the French na ...

and

Lauren Hutton Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton; November 17, 1943) is an American model and actress. Born and raised in the southern United States, Hutton relocated to New York City in her early adulthood to begin a modeling career. Though she was ini ...

. It premiered in 1982 and played in competition at the

33rd Berlin International Film Festival The 33rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 18 February to 1 March 1983. The festival opened with the out of competition film ''Tootsie'', by Sydney Pollack. The Golden Bear was jointly awarded to ''Ascendancy (film), Ascen ...

References

External links

Publicity page
at the British publisher's website {{Paul Morand 1954 French novels French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels by Paul Morand Novels set in Tangier Novels set in the 1920s