Author Description

The rich and tempestuous tale of Paris's most celebrated courtesan, a woman of exceptional talent and beauty who scandalised society by marrying the French consul to Australia and becoming a bestselling writer. Born in the gutters of Paris in 1824, Celeste Venard rose above her station to become the most celebrated dancer in the Paris dance halls during France's La Belle Epoque. She went on to become first an actress then an equestrienne of exceptional courage at the Paris hippodrome, where her daring feats on horseback thrilled the crowds. Strikingly beautiful and utterly charismatic, Celeste eventually became the city's leading courtesan and the lover of many, including Alexandre Dumas, Georges Bizet, Alfred de Musset and the distinguished Count de Naurois. But it was the Count de Chabrillan, a prominent member of the French aristocracy, who captured her heart - their marriage in 1853 scandalised the Count's family and Parisian society. There was more scandal when Celeste's memoirs were published while the newlyweds were voyaging to Australia, where the count would serve as the French consul. Exiled in Melbourne during the gold rush, Celeste wrote three novels, including her classic bestseller The Gold Thieves, as well as a second set of memoirs. The love affair between Celeste and her count was passionate and volatile, only ending when the count died at sea in 1858. Heartbroken and without means, Celeste went on to write operas and plays - later she managed a theatre in Paris. During the Franco-Prussian war she joined the war effort then later set up a home for war orphans. She died aged 85 and was buried in the Chabrillan family tomb. Celeste is the rich and tempestuous tale of a woman of exceptional talent and beauty who was a century ahead of her time, a woman who broke all the rules to pursue a life of creativity, passion and excitement.