by M. J. Rose
E
enfleurage or cold enfleurage A time-honored method of essential oil extraction, in which odorless animal fats are used to collect the fragrant compounds exuded by botanical matter. Traditionally, glass panes are smeared with fat, and then the delicate blossoms are layered over the fats. The perfume diffuses into the fat over several days, after which the spent flowers are replaced with fresh ones. The process is repeated until the fat is supersaturated with the floral scent. The fat is then soaked in ethyl alcohol to draw the fragrant molecules into the alcohol. The alcohol is later isolated and filtered to produce an absolute.
essential oil A concentrated aromatic oil obtained from botanicals using either expression or distillation extraction methods. Expression or “cold pressing” is used to obtain citrus oils. This method involves piercing the peel so that the essential oil found in the tiny pouches over the skin can be released. The whole fruit is then pressed to isolate the juice and oils from the pulp. The essential oils rise to the surface of the juice and are separated and filtered through centrifugation. In distillation, raw plant matter is placed inside a distillation apparatus called an alembic, which itself is placed over water. The water is heated, and the steam produced rises through the botanical material, vaporizing the volatile compounds. This vapor travels through a coil and in doing so, cools to a liquid again. This liquid (the perfume oil) is collected in a receptacle as it leaves the coil. The high temperatures required to extract the oil can sometimes prove destructive for more delicate botanicals, in which case alternative extraction processes, such as enfleurage, are preferred.
F
factice A perfume bottle, usually filled with colored water, that is chiefly used for display or promotional purposes. Factices are usually oversize replicas of the original perfume flacon.
flacon A perfume bottle. Derived from a Middle French word for “bottle,” flacon has become a term used widely in the global vernacular to describe a receptacle for perfume, particularly one of exquisite beauty or craftsmanship.
For research (which wound up being a labor of love) Rose bought hundreds of perfumes. This is a collection of some her favorite inspirations including scents from Guerlain, Frederic Malle, Serge Lutens, Oliver Durbano, Van Cleef and Arpels, Sophia Grojsman, Joya, Jar Parfums, Jo Malone and more.
G
Grasse A town in southeastern France that is considered to be the traditional and modern capital of perfume. Rose spent time there researching; the fictional perfumers at the heart of her novel have a home and factory there.
In the middle ages, Grasse was perhaps best known for its tanneries. “Grasse” itself is a French word meaning “fatty.” In the seventeenth century these tanneries began production of perfumed leather goods, catering to an increasing demand for scented gloves and accessories, which were popularized by Catherine de’ Medici. Grasse’s thriving perfume industry could be credited, in part, to its warm sheltered microclimate, which provided the ideal conditions for flower farming.
Nowadays, the region is particularly well known for its jasmine, lavender, roses and violet leaves, and it has attracted a vast number of factories that process the raw perfume materials. Grasse’s cornerstone perfumeries include Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard.
On display in Musée International de la Parfumerie, nineteenth-century copper alembic stills used in the distillation process of extracting scent from flowers.
Outside the Musée International de la Parfumerie in Grasse, a sculpture of a seventeenth-century perfumer selling his wares.
H
hallucinogen A substance, usually inhaled or ingested, which produces hallucinations. Chemical compounds found in certain plant species can affect the central nervous system when ingested, resulting in adjusted brain function, which can ultimately alter mood, consciousness and perception. A number of fungi and cacti species and many other psychoactive botanicals have been used in folk preparations of hallucinogens for millennia, and many cultures have a recorded history of their use for medicinal, religious and shamanistic purposes.
The ancient Egyptians worked with botanicals like blue lotus (a water lily that contains psychoactive compounds), to which Rose refers in her book. Other hallucinogenic compounds were added to incense preparations, mixtures of natural ingredients that were rolled into balls and placed onto hot coals to release a perfumed smoke. In folk culture, messages received through visions, hallucinations and altered states were regarded as prophetic and/or divine.
I
incense A blend of aromatic botanical components that release a perfumed smoke when burned. Incense has been used in purification, meditation and religious rituals since the dawn of time. Many incense preparations in the ancient world had hypnotic properties or a narcotising effect (see hallucinogen). Incense is said to carry prayers to the heavens, to ward off negative spirits, and to bring joy and peace to the soul. Burning it brings positive energy and a balance to our emotions. It is a used in many cultures as a meditation tool and to promote spiritual healing with its tranquil aromatics (see ancient perfume).
K
karma A spiritual law that concerns cause and effect. In a reincarnation belief system, it is thought that souls are brought back to life to atone for or rectify sins, repay psychic debts or to complete unfinished tasks. In essence, one has to return to the mortal world to satisfy one’s karmic responsibility.
M
maceration A method of extracting fragrant oils from botanical materials by steeping or soaking them in either a cold or a heated solvent solution. Maceration can take from several days to months, depending on the desired outcome. Aromatic compounds gradually pass into the solution, the plant matter is removed, and the perfumed solution is later filtered of impurities.
N
niche perfumes A perfume created by a boutique or artisanal studio, whose production and distribution are on a much smaller scale than that of mainstream or designer perfumes. Perfumes have also been classified as being either niche or mainstream based upon the number of retail outlets they are supported in. Niche perfumes often tend to be preferred by serious perfumistas, as they offer the uniqueness and hands-on craftsmanship that a lot of mainstream scents are lacking. Rose met several niche perfumers, notably the amazing Olivier Durbano, and was inspired by their artistry and talent. In the book, the character Robbie L’Etoile is an homage to these men and women.
Olivier Durbano, architect, jeweler, niche perfumer extraordinaire, and M. J. Rose. Olivier was the inspiration for one of the characters in the book.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima In 1995, the Dalai Lama identified the next reincarnated Panchen Lama, a five-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. Months later, the child disappeared. The Chinese government admits to taking Nyima but claims he is alive and living with his family in Tibet. His whereabouts, however, remain unknown and no foreign party has been allowed to see him since his disappearance.
O
Oud A fragrant oil extracted from the resinous heartwood of the aquilaria (agarwood) tree, which grows in abundance in India and Southeast Asia. Aquilaria trees are susceptible to blight by way of a fungus that causes a rich, dark resin to form within the heartwood. This wood is then harvested and distilled to produce pure Oud oil, which has a very unique odor profile. One of the world’s most expensive perfume ingredients, Oud is also prized for its spiritual and esoteric value.
P
perfume and the afterlife In ancient times, scent was aligned with religion and the afterlife. The soul was believed to travel to the next life on the stairway of smoke from the burning incense. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, which the author studied in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, show Egyptians wearing perfumed cones on their head.
perfumer’s organ The central workspace at which the perfumer is seated, which is surrounded by ascending staggered rows of small shelves that are laid out in an amphitheatrical arrangement. These shelves hold numerous small bottles of oils and absolutes, each of which is within easy reach of the perfumer whil
e he or she is composing a fragrance. The complex, tiered appearance of the workspace resembles the console of a chapel organ.
Rose traveled to France to learn more about the perfume industry and history, and it was seeing one of these organs in Paris that inspired the antique one in the novel.
The laboratory of a great perfumer, on display in Paris, France.
pyramid The basic structure of a traditional perfume, comprising top notes, middle notes and base notes. Top notes are those components that you can smell upon initial application. Traditionally, these comprise of lighter citrus oils and tend to evaporate rapidly. Middle notes are the essences that emerge after the top notes have faded. They represent the heart of the perfume. Generally florals, spices and herbaceous components reside here. Base notes are the foundation upon which a perfume is built. They are traditionally comprised of heavier or muskier notes that act as the perfume’s backbone. These include woods, resins, mosses and animalic facets such as civet or ambergris. Base notes linger on the skin after the top and middle notes have vanished.
R
reincarnation The word derives from Latin and means “entering the flesh again.” A synonym, “metempsychosis,” means “transmigration of the soul.” Reincarnation is the belief that after death the soul returns to a new body—usually without memory of the previous life. The doctrine is incorporated into almost all Indian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. But reincarnation doctrine appears in the beliefs of certain Jewish, Christian and Islam sects as well, including followers of the Cabbala, Catharism, the Alawi, Gnostic and Esoteric Christianity and the Druze. Reincarnation is also part of Native American, Greek and Norse mythologies.
Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Plotinus, Hermes, Raymond Lully, Nicolás de Cusa, Leonardo da Vinci, Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton and Yeats all explored and wrote about rebirth in their work. Spinoza and Leibniz, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Walt Whitman, W.B. Yeats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, General George Patton, Kant, Herder, Lessing, Hume and Carl Jung all believed in or wrote about the idea of rebirth.
The tomb is not a blind alley: it is a thoroughfare. It
closes on the twilight. It opens on the dawn.
—Victor Hugo
S
sillage The lingering trail of perfume that remains behind, particularly after the wearer has left the room. Sillage is the French word for wake.
soul migration The belief that a soul returns to a very specific and tailored set of circumstances in order to rectify a previous sin.
Dr. Ian Stevenson (October 31, 1918–February 8, 2007) Dr. Stevenson was a biochemist and professor of psychiatry who headed the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. He spent forty years studying more than 3,000 cases of reincarnation in children. Stevenson believed that reincarnation might help both modern medicine and psychiatry in understanding certain behaviors that had no other explanation. He wrote several books, including Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation and Reincarnation and Biology. His work is carried on today by Dr. Jim Tucker.
T
Tibetan reincarnation In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a person who has been identified as a reincarnation of a great master. A tulku can choose the manner of his (or her) rebirth. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Buddha is said to exist in three bodies. One of these, the nirmanakaya is the earthly, physical body, which manifests in the world to help bring all beings to enlightenment. Since 1193, hundreds of living masters have been identified. The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama are the highest ranked.
Different religious methods are used to help identify a reincarnated tulku. Among these are oracles, retreats, portents, searches for mothers who’ve had unusual dreams and children who process certain knowledge without receiving training.
triads Originally Triads were Chinese resistance forces who opposed the Manchu rule. In the 1760s they formed the Heaven and Earth Society in order to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. The society then branched out into many smaller groups, adopting the triangle as their symbol, and going on to exert influence throughout China. In reference to that symbol, the British colonial authorities in Hong Kong coined the term “triad” to describe organized crime syndicates.
In 1949, when the Communist Party came to power in China and law enforcement became more stringent, the triad society members began to migrate. Since the 1880s they have been engaged in counterfeiting. Today, they are active in many regions with significant Chinese populations. They are known to engage in prostitution, extortion and money laundering.
tulpa A mystical concept of a being or object that materializes through willpower, based on the ancient idea of mind transmission. The term originated with Alexandra David-Néel, a Belgian-French explorer and spiritualist who entered Tibet when it was forbidden to foreigners. She claimed to have created a tulpa in the image of a monk who eventually took on a life of his own and needed to be destroyed.
Written by M. J. Rose and Dimitri Dimitriadis,
author of the acclaimed blog Sorcery of Scent
http://sorceryofscent.blogspot.com.
Author’s Note
As with most of my work, there is a lot of fact mixed in with this fictional tale.
Cleopatra’s love of fragrance was legendary and she did in fact have a perfume factory. Archaeologists believe they found remains of it in the Dead Sea, thirty kilometers from Ein Gedi. According to Dioscorides, Homer and Pliny the Elder, the Egyptian queen kept a record of her favorite fragrances and cosmetic formulas in a book called Cleopatra gynaeciarum libri.
No known copy of the book exists today.
Napoleon, who was sensitive to scent, did go to Egypt in the late 1700s and while there explored the pyramids with an army of savants; there is no record of a perfumer having accompanied him.
The history of perfume and the fragrance industry past and present, the Triads, the methods by which lamas are found and how monks study and live are all based on research.
That’s also true of Tibetan beliefs and rituals having to do with reincarnation, which are sadly being threatened by China’s rules requiring people to register to reincarnate.
Unfortunately, Xie’s story is rooted in history. In 1995, the Dalai Lama identified the next reincarnated Panchen Lama, a five-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. Months later, the child disappeared. The Chinese government admits to taking Nyima and claims he is alive and living with his family in Tibet, but his whereabouts remain unknown and no foreign party has been allowed to see him.
While there is no Phoenix Foundation, the work done there was inspired by work done at the University of Virginia Medical Center by Dr. Ian Stevenson, who studied children with past life memories for more than thirty years. Dr. Bruce Greyson and Dr. Jim Tucker, a child psychiatrist, continue Ian Stevenson’s work today.
And then there’s Paris. I’ll never be able to do her justice. What a magical city. If you visit, do voyage down to the catacombs. They are moving, fascinating and yes, a little frightening. Afterward, stop at Café Marly for a glass of wine and then on to L’Orangerie—Claude Monet’s paintings are truly breathtaking.
Acknowledgments
To my editor, Sarah Durand, an author’s dream: insightful, wise, patient and sensitive.
To my agent, Dan Conaway—for so many reasons—this wouldn’t be The Book of Lost Fragrances without you.
To my sorcerer of scent—the blogger Dimitri—who opened the doors of the mysterious world of perfume. Thank you for your generous advice and all the vintage samples.
For the inspiration: thanks to the iconic Sophia Grossman, one of the great living perfumers, and the inventive and poetic Olivier Durbano.
To Frederick Bochardy for his wonderful fragrances, spirit of adventure and willingness to share his scents with me and with this book.
To the whole team at Atria Books—those I know: Hilary Tisman, Lisa Sciambra and Paul Olsewski, as well as all the people who worked on this book whom I haven’t had the
chance to meet yet—I’m honored to be working with you.
To everyone at Writers House—from the always calming Stephen Barr to the charming Michael Mejias (one day I will open the right door!).
To the dream team—when you’re stuck with a plot point, character or just losing confidence—they’re incomparable and great friends all—Lisa Tucker, Douglas Clegg, C.W. Gortner and Steve Berry.
To readers, booksellers and librarians everywhere who make all the work worthwhile.
As always, to my dear friends and family. And most of all, Doug.
The Romance, the Passion . . . the Fascinating True Story Behind The Book of Lost Fragrances
M.J. Rose
Several years ago I went to a brocante (flea market) in Cannes, France. It was a perfect morning to peruse antiques—warm with a little breezeto mingle the scent of fresh flowers with theseaside town’s fresh salty air.
