The Island of Hermaphrodites

A scandal in its time and a revelation today, this fearless satire blends courtly decadence with political rebellion in an imagined world of unchecked power.

A scandalous and subversive satire, The Island of Hermaphrodites skewers the decadence and corruption of early seventeenth-century French society with razor-sharp wit. Published anonymously in 1605, this daring Menippean satire created an uproar for its irreverent portrayal of the French court, critique of absolute monarchy, and radical questioning of gender and power. A blend of political critique and biting humour, the novel follows an imagined land of aristocratic excess, where opulent feasts, elaborate fashion, and absurd rituals mask the deeper instability of a society built on privilege and deception.

Republished throughout the eighteenth century and connected to the intellectual ferment leading up to the French Revolution, The Island of Hermaphrodites remains a strikingly modern indictment of unchecked power and economic exploitation. In its first full English translation, Kathleen P. Long offers new audiences a satirical romp through a world of absurdist power—one that feels politically salient today.