In the latest episode of Pagecast, Louisa Treger chats to Karina Szczurek about her intense, moving novel The Paris Muse

This week on Pagecast, the podcast from Jonathan Ball Publishers, writer, editor, literary critic and publisher Karina Szczurek is in conversation with Louisa Treger about her novel The Paris Muse.

Pagecast offers you insider interviews with recently published authors, looking into the process of writing, exploring the narratives within and providing you with the story behind the story.

Treger, a classical violinist, studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher. She subsequently turned to literature, earning a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early-twentieth-century women’s writing and was awarded the West Scholarship ‘for distinguished work in the study of English Language and Literature.’ She is the acclaimed author of the novels The Lodger (2014), The Dragon Lady (2019) and Madwoman (2022), which was a Book of the Month in the Independent and The Sunday Times. She currently lives in London.

About 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 sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge.

The Paris Muse is the fictionalised retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression.

Atmospheric, intense and moving, The Paris Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote.