Das Leiden eines Knaben

by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer

"Das Leiden eines Knaben" by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer is a novella published in 1883. Set during the final years of King Louis XIV's reign, it tells the tragic story of Julian Boufflers, a diligent student at a Parisian Jesuit school. After his father exposes corruption within the Jesuit order, Julian becomes the target of cruel mistreatment by his teacher, Père Tellier. The tale unfolds through a frame narrative as the king's physician warns against appointing Tellier as the royal confessor.