Gamiani

One of the illustrations of Gamiani, or Two Nights of Excess published in Brussels in 1833. Illustration by Achille Devéria

Gamiani, or Two Nights of Excess (French: Gamiani, ou deux nuits d'excès) is a French erotic novel first published in 1833. Its authorship is anonymous, but it is believed to have been written by Alfred de Musset and the lesbian eponymous heroine a portrait of his lover, George Sand.^[1] It became a bestseller among nineteenth century erotic literature.^[2]

The novel was illustrated with unsigned lithographs whose authorship remains unknown. They have been attributed to Achille Devéria and Octave Tassaert, among others.

Outline

Modeled after George Sand, this work gives us a young man named Alcide observing the Countess Gamiani and a young girl named Fanny, engaged in their lesbian bed. Having watched them and provoked by their abandonment, he reveals himself, joins them, and they spend the night alternately sharing their intimate histories and their bodies. The stories they tell include the rape of one in a monastery and the nearly fatal debauchment of another in a convent, as well as encounters with a number of animals, including an ape and a donkey.

Author Edith Wharton had an unpublished work based on this text.^[3]

References