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&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Mad_shadows_book.jpg) First edition (French) | |
| Author | Marie-Claire Blais |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Belle Bête |
| Translator | Merloyd Lawrence |
| Language | French |
| Publisher | Institut littéraire du Québec |
Publication date | 1959 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Pages | 182 |
| OCLC | 718337426 |
Mad Shadows (French: La Belle Bête) is a French-Canadian novel by Marie-Claire Blais, published in 1959. Writing the work at the age of twenty, the novel was Blais's first major literary work. It quickly established her as a rising talent within the Quebec literary scene.
Mad Shadows explores the psychology of a single family: Patrice, the beautiful and narcissistic son; his ugly and malicious sister, Isabelle-Marie; and Louise, their vain and uncomprehending mother. Repeatedly, the novel posits an amoral world where beauty stands hollow and love rings empty.