First published in 1898, ‘The Red Lily’ is a novel by French author Anatole France that tells of the affair between a woman of the world, married to a politician, with an artist. A trip to Florence (which symbolizes the title) crowns this carnal and mystical union. Soon, jealousy insinuates itself into the lover’s heart, who ends the affair.
Unique in its genre, ‘The Red Lily’ is partially autobiographical, since it is based on the, at first passionate affair, between the author and Mrs. de Caillavet.