Nude Untitled by Beatrice Colin

Kate, the highly strung editor of a fashionable London magazine, is determined to wrest the secret diaries of a newly discovered Russian painter of the Revolutionary period from the woman she thinks was his mistress. Clara, however, has her own agenda. In pursuit of the diary, Kate drives the aged and mischievous Clara from her home in Paris to a seaside hotel in Normandy. The weekend there, and their encounter with a struggling artist from Prague, changes all their lives.

A modern comedy of manners, Nude Untitled pits the supposedly tough against the unexpectedly romantic. Beatrice Colin is shrewd, affectionate and amusing in her portrayal of a trio of characters who will linger in the memory long after the book is put away.

BEATRICE COLIN was born in London in 1963 and grew up in Scotland. A journalist for several national newspapers, she has written on a wide range of subjects, including Paris fashion, blood feuds in Albania, contemporary art, and motherhood. Her short stories have appeared in various publications in Britain and America. Four of her plays have been broadcast by BBC Radio; she is currently writing a screenplay for BBC television. Colin and her family have recently moved from Glasgow to Brooklyn, where she continues to write.

“A debut which shows remarkable poise in its handling of its almost surreal setting.”
BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2001, THE HERALD

“It might have been written by Colette or Dorothy Parker so cleverly and tartly does it unfold.”
THE SUNDAY HERALD