James Branch Cabell 
The Jewel Merchants (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 
A Comedy in One Act

This 1921 play, subtitled ‘A Comedy in One Act, ‘ is Cabell’s only published play script.  The drama is based on the short story ‘Balthazar’s Daughter’ that originally appeared in Cabell’s 1916 collection,
The Certain Hour.   In his prologue, the author confesses that the play ‘lacks moral fervor’ and hopes it will ‘corrupt no reader irretrievably.’

A propos de l’auteur

James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) wrote belles lettres and fantasy fiction. Most popular in the 1920s, his escapist literature was well regarded by respected authors of his time. He lived by his quote in The Silver Stallion, ‘The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.’