I Will Not Serve
Mahyère, Eveline. E. P. Dutton & Co., 1960 (1st American Ed.). Hardbound. First published in 1958 in Paris by Éditions Buchet-Chastel as Je jure de m'eblouir. Translated by Antonia White. A coming-of-age tale remarkably similar to its translator’s Frost in May: this book’s protagonist, Sylvie, is expelled from a convent, an experience shared by White, who was also an intimate of Djuna Barnes. Unsettlingly, this first American edition used the author’s death by her own hand as a marketing strategy. ‘It’s marvellous to die as if one were doing something entertaining,’ Mahyere reportedly wrote in her suicide note shortly before the book’s release.
Spine is tight, but has a slight lean. Clean, unmarked interior. Some fading to the boards, but no other notable wear to the book. Sunning and moderate edge-wear to the jacket. 164 pp. Featured Rare & Collectible.
