Woman and Puppet, Etc.

by Pierre Louÿs

"Woman and Puppet, Etc." by Pierre Louÿs is a novel written in 1898. Set during carnival in Seville, it tells the story of don Mateo Diaz and his turbulent relationship with Conchita Pérez, a bewitching young Andalusian woman. Through cycles of attraction and rejection, flirtation and jealousy, don Mateo finds himself manipulated for fourteen months before a violent confrontation changes everything. The novel explores obsessive passion and psychological manipulation in a tale that has inspired numerous opera and film adaptations.