Lady L.

Lady L. was the first novel Gary wrote directly in English, and thus the first in any language other than French.

When Lesley Blanch met Romain Gary in 1944, she had just turned forty, on the day of the Normandy landings. An editor at Vogue, where she had overseen features since 1937, this elegant and witty London writer, of undeniable literary talent, was well regarded in the world of fashion. They married on April 4, 1945. A few months later, a diplomatic career opened up for Gary. A devoted wife, she followed him from posting to posting — Sofia, Bern, Paris, New York and Los Angeles — and taught him her language to perfection. “His much-admired English accent,” she noted, “was made all the more charming by the rolling Russian r’s that Romain added to it. He had acquired a perfect pronunciation; only the timbre of his voice, that deep, husky timbre, retained something Slavic.” Gary quickly gained fluency, to the point of writing four novels directly in English: Lady L. was the first, in 1958 (translated in 1963), followed by The Talent Scout (1961), The Ski Bum (1964) and The Gasp (1973). Gary also translated La Promesse de l’aube, La Tête coupable and White Dog in their entirety, and closely participated in the translations of Colors of the Day, The Roots of Heaven, A European Education, The Dance of Genghis Cohn and Europa — and, indirectly, through Ajar/Pavlowitch, in that of Momo.

A fine copy; a rare first printing.

Skillful restoration to the back panel of the dust jacket.