The Paris Muse

'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 ultimately pushes her to the edge. This is the fictionalized retelling of their disturbing yet captivating love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set against the sultry backdrops of Paris and the French Riviera, where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays, we see how Picasso was a genius who side-stepped the rules in his romantic relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora's torment, he conducted affairs with her friends and refused to divorce his wife. The Spanish Civil War made him depressed and violent, an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting 'Guernica', which Dora documented as he painted. The onset of the Second World War provides another blow and as the encroaching darkness of the world around them suffocates their relationship, we see Doras mental health come undone. Atmospheric, intense and moving, this astonishing story ensues that Dora Maar the talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote in history. 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