Cosmopolis – Volume 1

Cosmopolis, Volume 1, opens the 1892 novel by Paul Bourget (1852-1935), the leading French psychological novelist of his generation. The book is set in the international society of Rome, where wealthy expatriates of every nation form a rootless cosmopolitan colony against the backdrop of the eternal city. Volume 1 introduces the cast: the French novelist Dorsenne, the Venetian Countess Steno and her American lover Maitland, the jealous Pole Gorka, the saintly Alba, and the corrupt financier’s family at the centre of the web. Bourget structures the novel as a study of nationality and character, testing his belief that race and rooted tradition shape the moral self. Cosmopolis was translated across Europe and remains the novel most associated with his name. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.