Publisher's Synopsis
""The Magic Skin"" is a novel written by Honore De Balzac, a French author and playwright. The story follows the life of a young man named Raphael de Valentin, who is struggling to make ends meet in Paris. He is a talented artist, but his work is not selling, and he is deeply in debt.One day, Raphael stumbles upon a mysterious piece of leather that has the power to grant his every wish. However, with each wish, the skin shrinks, and Raphael's life force is drained. As he becomes more and more obsessed with the skin, he begins to lose touch with reality and becomes increasingly isolated from those around him.""The Magic Skin"" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the pursuit of power. Balzac uses Raphael's story to explore the themes of morality, ambition, and the corrupting influence of wealth. The novel is considered a masterpiece of French literature and is widely regarded as one of Balzac's greatest works.""The devil take you!"" said Raphael. ""How are you to enter into my feelings if I do not relate the facts that insensibly shaped my character, made me timid, and prolonged the period of youthful simplicity? In this manner I cowered under as strict a despotism as a monarch's till I came of age. To depict the tedium of my life, it will be perhaps enough to portray my father to you.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
