On Sunday September 24th, Coco Hoek will give the fourth lecture in Mayflower Bookshop’s Great Books series, featuring the famous novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses (In Dutch: Gevaarlijk spel met de liefde). Written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, this epistolary novel was originally published in four volumes from 1782 and celebrated for its exploration of seduction, revenge and malice. The book was viewed as scandalous at the time of its publication.
Coco Hoek, who studied French in Leiden, will place this masterpiece in the context of its time, and explain to us why this novel was a ‘succès de scandale’ from the start, but will also show us its narrative power, its stylistic fire and its beauty.
What makes the book chafe to this day? Why does it still sparkle and delight a 21st century audience? What do you really need to know about the literary context to fully enjoy the book, and what, in your enthusiasm for the sparkling protagonists’ content, should you really not lose sight of anyway?
Hoek’s enticing lecture on this jewel will be illustrated by a theatrical reading, performed by Freek Bouricius and Roland de Ligny (Mayflower Theatre Company).
Get ready for a magnificent and scandalous afternoon and don’t miss this opportunity to get acquainted with this masterpiece or renew your acquaintance!