The Venetian nobility, older than most royal houses, has fallen into ruin, and young Emilio Memmi is one of its penniless heirs. He adores the pure and noble Duchess Massimilla Doni yet is drawn to the opera singer Clarina Tinti, and the story unfolds amid long conversations on music during a performance of Rossini’s Moses.
One of Balzac’s philosophical studies, a strange, beautiful meditation on art and desire. Download the free EPUB.