Sarrasine

by Honoré de Balzac

"Sarrasine" by Honoré de Balzac is a novella published in 1830. At a Parisian ball, a narrator promises to explain the mysterious origins of his host's wealth and the strange old man who haunts the mansion. He tells the tale of Ernest-Jean Sarrasine, a passionate young sculptor who travels to Rome and becomes obsessed with Zambinella, a captivating opera singer. As Sarrasine pursues his ideal of perfect beauty, he remains blind to a dangerous secret that will shatter his illusions and seal his fate.