The exceptional destiny of Marguerite Steinheil, the intriguing mistress to the late 19th century French president Felix Faure…

Everyone knows this story: while the president Félix Faure was dying, his « acquaintance » left by the service stairs. This compromising death will change the course of the Dreyfus Affair and disrupt the life of the woman who will come to called « the undertaker ».

A reclusive journalist decides to investigate this mysterious Madame S and the secrets of a French government continuously grappling with the same demons: antisemitism, antifeminism, bribes and scandal-hungry newspapers.

Sylvie Lausberg offers a passionate take on the life of Marguerite Japy-Steinheil, a troubled woman who saved herself thanks to a talent for deception, a devastating charm and a profound understanding of politics.

Sylvia Lausberg, an historian and psychoanalyst, is a professor of psychology at the l’Université Libre de Bruxelles. At the same time, she has been pursuing a career as a freelance journalist. She is also very implicated in the fight for equal rights for women as the President of the Conseil des Femmes Francophones de Belgique and member of Conseil fédéral de l’Égalité des chances entre les Femmes et les Hommes. Madame S is her first novel.