<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p>Mathilde-Marie-Georgina-Élisabeth de Peyrebrune (1841-1917), who wrote under the pseudonym of "Georges de Peyrebrune," originally published "A Decadent Woman" in 1886, in two parts in the <em>Revue Bleue</em>. The novella, appearing here for the first time in English, in a translation by Brian Stableford, along with three supplementary tales, is one of Peyrebrune's most flamboyant works, presenting a caricature of a high-profile variety of radical feminism, which is demolished by the narrative in such an excessive fashion that it was evidently written tongue-in-cheek, although it is probable that some readers were oblivious to its sarcastic humor.</p><p> </p><p>The three addition tales, "The Fays," a perverse parody of a fairy tale, "The Red Bird," a symbolist account of exotic madness, and "Salome" a spectacular landmark of decadent fantasy, are wonderful examples of Peyrebrune's work when she chose to venture into the <em>avant garde</em> herself<em>.</em></p><p><br></p>