Precious Pawn

Mary Martin Devlin brings the elaborate protocol of Versailles and the manners and morals of the eighteenth-century court aristocracy to life in rich, evocative detail. Her vividly drawn characters, subtle conversations and elegant settings capture an age when wit and beauty reigned but breaking the rules could have serious consequences.

Mary Martin Devlin

A former professor of English and creative writing at Mount Holyoke College, Mary Martin Devlin has also always had a passion for French literature and culture. When a colleague introduced her to the unpublished memoir of an eighteenth-century French countess, she plunged into translating the young woman’s account of the capricious fortunes of life at the royal court, which eventually inspired Precious Pawn. Mary Martin Devlin taught as a Fulbright professor in France and Tunisia and has translated and collaborated on books regarding the African AIDS epidemic and the politics of the Congo. Her story "The Resting Wall" was short-listed for the O. Henry Prize in 2003. She now divides her time between Atlanta, Georgia, and the south of France.