'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.

罗大冈，法国文学专家，翻译家。浙江绍兴人。１９３３年毕业于中法大学文学院。１９５３年后，任北京大学文学研究所、中国科学院文学研究所研究员，中国社会科学院外国文学研究所研究员，中国作协第二届理事，中国翻译家协会第一届理事，中国国际文化交流中心理事，中国外国文学学会第一届理事，中国法国文学研究会会长。１９８３年获法国巴黎大学荣誉博士称号。中国民主同盟盟员。是第五、六届全国政协委员。