Love stories of historical figures translated and published in Chinese

A Chinese translation of Les Revers de L'amour: Une Histoire de la Rupture (The Setbacks of Love: A Story of Breaking up) by French historian Sabine Melchior-Bonnet has been published recently by China Environment Publishing Group. The French version was originally released in 2019.

From the perspectives of intimate relationships, values, taboos, sociology and so on, the book talks about the tragic love stories of historical figures, including Heloise and Abelard, Henry VIII, Louis XIV, Catherine the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander Pushkin, Simone de Beauvoir and Princess Diana; explores the foundation of romantic relationships and the problems that lead to the final break up, and displays the changing history of the "consciousness of love" in Europe over 10 centuries.

"Although love is ubiquitous in art and literary works but, as the writer points out in the introduction, to study romantic relationships from the perspective of historical study is not easy," writes Chen Xiaolin, the translator or the book, in her introduction.

In addition to the individuals, the book also deals with the ethics and legal systems of the respective times.