'Oh! Monsieur is Persian? That's most extraordinary! How can someone be Persian?' Two Persian travellers, Usbek and Rica, arrive in Paris just before the death of Louis XIV and in time to witness the hedonism and financial crash of the Regency. In their letters home they report on visits to the theatre and scientific societies, and observe the manners and flirtations of polite society, the structures of power and the hypocrisy of religion. Irony and bitter satire mark their comparison of East and West and their quest for understanding. Unsettling news from Persia concerning the female world of the harem intrudes on their new identities and provides a suspenseful plot of erotic jealousy and passion. This pioneering epistolary novel and work of travel-writing opened the world of the West to its oriental visitors and the Orient to its Western readers. This is the first English translation based on the original text, revealing this lively work as Montesquieu first intended. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

羅大岡，法國文學專傢，翻譯傢。浙江紹興人。１９３３年畢業於中法大學文學院。１９５３年後，任北京大學文學研究所、中國科學院文學研究所研究員，中國社會科學院外國文學研究所研究員，中國作協第二屆理事，中國翻譯傢協會第一屆理事，中國國際文化交流中心理事，中國外國文學學會第一屆理事，中國法國文學研究會會長。１９８３年獲法國巴黎大學榮譽博士稱號。中國民主同盟盟員。是第五、六屆全國政協委員。