A Fishy End

“Rachilde” was the pen name of Marguerite Vallette-Eymery (1860–1953), one of the most important writers of the Decadent Movement. Her works include the novels Monsieur Vénus (1884), and The Princess of Darkness (1895), the latter book being written under the pseudonym Jean de Chilra. She also wrote a 1928 monograph on gender identity, Pourquoi je ne suis pas féministe (“Why I am not a Feminist”).

“A FISHY END” was first published as Queue de poisson in 1885 when Rachilde was just 25 years old, and directly after the publication of her decadent masterpiece Monsieur Vénus. Though a somewhat minor work, A Fishy End helps add to the growing body of word in the English language by the Queen of the Decadents.

“A FISHY END” is published in three editions: a standard hardcover in an edition limited to 120 copies, a “cocktail” edition of 9 copies, and a deluxe leather-bound hardcover in an edition of 9 copies.