Extaze: Een Boek van Geluk

by Louis Couperus

"Extaze: Een Boek van Geluk" by Louis Couperus is a novel published in 1892. Young widow Cecile van Even lives quietly with her two sons, spending her days in dreams and melancholy. When she meets Taco Quaerts, a charismatic sportsman with a Don Juan reputation, she initially dislikes him. But an unexpected connection draws her toward this complex man who describes himself as having two sides—a soul and a beast within.