The Woman and the Puppet

One of the great novels about obsessive love, The Woman and The Puppet was first published in France in 1898 and is considered Louys' masterpiece. It has inspired five film versions, including von Steinberg's in 1935 and Bunuel's in 1977. 'This elegantly simple story has lost none of its charm. It is carnival time in Spain, and a man named Andre falls in love with a woman he glimpses. She seems to reciprocate, but another man, Mateo, appears on the scene to warn Andre about the woman and tell him the story of his own long infatuation with her. And what a story. What an insanely infuriating character she is. Mateo's dreadful narrative takes up most of the book, like an amorous Rime of The Ancient Mariner. Is Andre 'a sadder and wiser man' for hearing it? Certainly not wiser.' Phil Baker in the Sunday Times ' Oscar Wilde described the author as 'too beautiful to be a man'; his classic tale of sexual teasing, in which the beautiful Concha offers her lover everything except her virginity, has been filmed several times. Marlene Dietrich took the role in 'The Devil Is A Woman'; Luis Bunuel called his version 'That Obscure Object Of Desire'. Concha says of her prize: 'It's my guitar, and I'll play it for whoever I like'.' Andrew Crumey in Scotland on Sunday