Evil Angels is a 1981 novel by the French writer Pascal Bruckner. The French title is Lunes de fiel, which literally means "moons of bile", a pun on "lune de miel", "honeymoon". The story takes place on a passenger ship heading from Marseille to Istanbul, and focuses on a couple who meet a man determined to break them apart. The book was published by Éditions du Seuil.[1] It was published in English in 1987, translated by William R. Beer.[2]
It was adapted into the 1992 film Bitter Moon, directed by Roman Polanski.[3]
Kirkus Reviews described the book as "a dreary French novel of existential agony and absurdly serious erotica", and "laughable drivel disguised as a cynical, sophisticated love story".[4] Publishers Weekly wrote: "The satire is biting and brilliant, proceeding in a tone that is sly and distanced, even philosophical as with the systematic discussion of six general categories of how to humiliate a woman. A bestseller in France, Evil Angels is a diabolical anatomy of lust in all its ramifications, with a plot that will keep readers enthralled."[5]