Small Souls

Small Souls is a novel by Dutch author Louis Couperus. Small Souls is the first of four novels that make up the quartet known as 'The Books of the Small Souls', the master work of the foremost author of Dutch literature

Constance van der Welcke returns to the Hague and the bosom of her family after a twenty year exile caused by a marital indiscretion and divorce from the Dutch ambassador to Rome. Wanting only to be accepted into the family circle again, Constance and her husband Henri find they are the target of gossip that pulls the family apart. As the facade of the family circle begins to crack, the psychological foibles of the brothers and sisters begin to reveal themselves. 

Louis Marie-Anne Couperus (1863 – 1923) was a Dutch novelist and poet. His writings contains a wide variety of genres: lyric poetry, psychological and historical novels, novellas, short stories, fairy tales, feuilletons and sketches. Couperus is considered to be one of the foremost figures in Dutch literature. In 1923, he was awarded the Tollensprijs (Tollens Prize). Translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Audiobook read by Phil Benson, running time 11 hours, 32 min. Unabridged full version.