The novel, about the duke of Parma?s proposal to Casanova to seduce his wife, then leave her, was published in Hungary in 1940. It was translated into French twenty years ago.
The director Jean-Louis Thamin has dramatised the last three chapters of the novel and put Jean-Marie Galey in the lead role.
The director said the idea to bring the story to the stage was originally the idea of Teresa Ovidio, who plays the duchess of Parma in the production. He added that the beauty of the text and its dialogue form required no changes to make it a play.
French cultural weekly Télérama called the Márai piece a ?rare beauty?.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
