To most American readers of fiction M. Ludovic Halevy is known chiefly, if not solely, as the author of that most charming of French novels, The Abbe Constantin. The novel had the rare good fortune of pleasing at once the broad public of indiscriminate readers of fiction and the narrower circle of real lovers of literature. Halevy had a very real gift -- and this collection, like The Abbe Constantin -- shows it in full flower.

Author Biography

Ludovic Halevy (1834 - 1908) was a French author and playwright. In 1865, Ludovic Halevy's increasing popularity as an author enabled him to retire from the public service. Ten years earlier, he had become acquainted with the musician Offenbach, who was about to start a small theatre of his own in the Champs-Elysees and he wrote a sort of prologue, Entrez, messieurs, mesdames, for the opening night. Other little productions followed, Ba-ta-clan being the most noticeable among them. They were produced under the pseudonym of Jules Servieres. The name of Ludovic Halevy appeared for the first time on the bills on 1 January 1856. Soon afterwards, the unprecedented run of Orphee aux enfers, a musical parody, written in collaboration with Hector Cremieux, made his name famous. In the spring of 1860, he was commissioned to write a play for the manager of the Varietes in conjunction with another vaudevillist, Lambert-Thiboust.