Living with him was like living at the centre of the universe. It was electrifying and humbling
blissful and destructive all at the same time.' Paris 1936. When Dora Maar a talented
French photographer painter and poet is introduced to Pablo Picasso she is mesmerized by his
dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity it isn't long before she embarks on a
passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism
and ultimately pushes her to the edge. The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this
disturbing love story as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set
in Paris and the French Riviera where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays with their glamorous
artist friends it provides a fascinating insight into how Picasso was a genius who
side-stepped the rules in his human relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora's torment
he refused to divorce his wife and conducted affairs with Dora's friends. The Spanish Civil War
made him depressed and violent an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting 'Guernica'
which Dora documented as he painted. As the encroaching darkness suffocates their relationship
- a darkness that escalates once the Second World War begins and the Nazis invade the country -
Dora has a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized. Atmospheric intense and moving The Paris
Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented often overlooked woman who gave
her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote. Praise for The Paris Muse: 'An accomplished
literary novel and also an absolute page turner. Raw sexual charisma and its descent into
toxic cruelty which is set - and artfully echoed - in times of peace and war.' Essie Fox
author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Fascination ?Dora Maar "The Weeping Woman" of
Picasso's famous paintings steps out of the canvas in Louisa Treger's unforgettable new novel.
Dora's passionate obsessive relationship with the artist came close to destroying her and
Treger's beautifully written first-person narrative takes us deep inside her grief and torment.
Picasso emerges as a controlling sadistic man who is single-minded in pursuit of his art
first his pleasure second. This is a powerful absorbing read about a woman who was a talented
artist in her own right and it illustrates very graphically who was responsible for making the
'Weeping Woman' weep.' Gill Paul internationally bestselling author of A Beautiful Rival
'Gifted photographer and painter - and muse of Picasso - Dora Marr comes vibrantly to life in
Treger's new novel THE PARIS MUSE. A fascinating and heartfelt portrait of a female artist
striving to succeed in the male-dominated Parisian art world readers won't be able to resist
rooting for Dora or relishing every page until The End. A compelling and absorbing read!'
Heather Webb USA Today and International bestselling author of Queens of London
