The Witch of Ecbatana and The Virgin of Israel

Jane de La Vaudère (1857-1908) was undoubtedly one of the most fascinating writers of the Decadent Movement, and here, presented for the first time in English, in translations by Brian Stableford, are two of her best novels-both part of her highly original moeurs antiques sequence.

The first, The Witch of Ecbatana, which was originally published in 1906, takes place during the time of Darius the Great. It follows, in pungent, rainbow-hued prose, the amorous adventures of Nysista, a disciple of the witch Zaroccha, as she subjects herself to the mercenary love of Arynes, the satrap's son.

The second, The Virgin of Israel, originally published in 1907, is a pseudohistorical biblical romance in which the young and beautiful Phédyne is seduced by an enigmatic stranger who involves her in an all-consuming passion with horrible consequences.

As love stories go, the two offered here, firmly planted in the field of Decadent Symbolism, are certainly among the most intense in literature, written as they are with a variety of creative energy that was unique to their author.