![]() ![]() ![]() Moreover, without consulting the author, the name under which they appeared in English was changed to “Sergeanne Golon”, that being a composite of her name and that of her husband, a well-born Russian exile, who did much of the historical research. The works’ merits were further undermined in English by a swashbuckling approach to their editing which, in one book, stretched as far as the complete excision of an important character. ![]() This was played up by their publishers, who gave them cover art in which embonpoint and negligées featured prominently, and partly explains why second-hand copies often command high prices. In their English translations, the exploits of the ravishing and indeed oft-ravished Angélique, which take place during the reign of Louis XIV, acquired the reputation of being racy historical romances akin to Forever Amber, or even erotica. Anne Golon, who has died aged 95, was the author of one of the most popular French series of novels of modern times, the adventures of Angélique, Marquise des Anges although largely unknown now to Anglophone readers, except for a stalwart band of devotees, in their heyday during the Sixties the books are said to have sold more than 100 million copies. ![]()
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