Sarrasine, by Honoré de Balzac

Published by Honoré de Balzac in the tempestuous year of 1830, the tale of Sarrasine follows the undulating pathways of a sculptor’s shocking journey to his coming of age. As one of the “fathers of realism” Balzac painted with his words a vivid portrait of life in the swirling salons of Europe at the end of the Bourbon monarchy, and we follow Sarrasine from France to Italy in search of both his métier and his muse.

However it is also the story of La Zambinella, an Italian singer with whom Sarrasine falls madly and passionately in love. But that passion holds a secret which Sarrasine spies too late.

Translated by Clara Bell.