Lives of the Saints

Synopsis

Fresh out of college in New England, Louise Brown returns to her hometown of New Orleans expecting little more than a familiar routine. Instead, she is swept back into the city's intoxicating world of late-night parties, impossible romances, spectacular excess, and beautifully self-destructive friends. At the centre of it all is Claude Collier, charming, reckless, and utterly unforgettable, a man whose magnetic pull threatens to upend Louise's carefully guarded heart.

Originally published in 1986 and long celebrated as a cult classic, Lives of the Saints is an exuberant portrait of a city where decadence and tenderness exist side by side. Nancy Lemann captures New Orleans in all its humid, eccentric glory while crafting a novel that is by turns hilarious, melancholic, and deeply compassionate. Brimming with wit, longing, and unforgettable characters, it stands as one of the great modern novels of the American South.

About the Author

Nancy Lemann was born in New Orleans and is the author of six books, including The Ritz of the Bayou, Malaise, and The Oyster Diaries. Her fiction is celebrated for its dazzling prose, sharp humour, and singular portraits of Southern life. This NYRB Classics edition features a new introduction by Geoff Dyer.

Publisher

NYRB Classics

Publication Date

April 7, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

208

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Southern Fiction · American Literature · Coming-of-Age Fiction · Cult Classics · New Orleans Fiction

ISBN

9798896230281