Two young students in a Latin Quarter boarding house become fascinated by their neighbour, Z. Marcas, a man whose striking face and fateful name seem to promise great things. Under the July Monarchy he has served ambitious politicians with his talents, only to be used and discarded, and his story becomes Balzac’s verdict on a France that wastes its young.
A short, bitter gem from La Comédie humaine. Download the free EPUB.