Pierre Louÿs (1870–1925) was a French author and poet, renowned for his sensual and provocative works exploring sexuality and desire. His most famous work, The Songs of Bilitis (1894), presented an imagined collection of ancient Greek poems, and his novel Aphrodite (1896) delved into the mythology of love and beauty. Louÿs also wrote The Woman and the Puppet (1898), a tale of passion and manipulation, and Ancient Manners (1923), which reflected his fascination with eroticism in historical settings. Known for his bold, controversial subjects, Louÿs left a lasting impact on the literary world and the French avant-garde movement.
Pierre Louÿs’ Ancient Manners (Les Chansons de Bilitis) is a lush and provocative exploration of love, sensuality, and classical beauty, inspired by ancient Greece. Originally presented as a collection of translated poems from a lost Greek poetess, Bilitis, Louÿs’ work is in fact a masterful literary hoax—an original creation infused with the spirit of Sapphic poetry. Rich in lyrical elegance and evocative imagery, Ancient Manners celebrates themes of passion, desire, and feminin… Read More
