The Book About Blanche and Marie: A NovelIn The Book about Blanche and Marie, Enquist has once again found inspiration from the historical record, this time exploring the fascinatingly complex relationship between two of the twentieth century's most remarkable women: Blanche Wittman, the famous hysteria patient of Professor J.M. Charcot at Salpètriére Hospital outside Paris, and Marie Curie, the Polish physicist and Nobel Prize winner. While the scientist tries to understand the nature of radiation, Blanche, her assistant and, at the time of her death, a triple amputee as a result of exposure to radiation, fills three notebooks with her exploration of a deceptively simple question: What is love? The Book about Blanche and Marie is at once a haunting look at scientific martyrdom and an intimate and moving portrait of a friendship between two uniquely brave and talented women. |
Contents
The Song of the Amputee | 13 |
The Song of the Rabbit | 43 |
The Song of the Flatbed Wagon | 61 |
Copyright | |
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afraid amputated animals answer asked beautiful Blanche and Marie Blanche Wittman Blanche writes Blanche's body Book of Questions butterfly called calm castle child coffin dance dark dead death despair Doctor dream escaped from heaven eternity of eternities everything experiments eyes face frightened hand hatred Hertha Hertha Ayrton human hysteria hysterical Jane Avril Jean Martin Charcot Jeanne knew laboratory later leave your side letter look Madame Curie Marie Curie Marie Skłodowska Curie Marie's merely Morvan mother never night Nobel Prize Nome once ovary pain Paris patient Paul Langevin perhaps Pierre Curie Pierre's pitchblende Professor Charcot Professor Debove radioactive radium replied Saint-Malo Salpêtrière Hospital Sceaux scientific secret sense shore Sigmund silence Skellefteå sleep smile someone stood story suddenly tell terrifying thing thought told took torso touch turned understand voice walk whispered woman women wooden box word young