The Wild Ass’s Skin

The impoverished Raphaël de Valentin receives a mysterious piece of shagreen from an antique dealer. It can fulfil his wishes, but each fulfilment shrinks the skin and shortens his life. Wealth and opportunity soon give way to fear as he tries to discover how to live without desiring anything. Balzac combines a supernatural premise with a sharp observation of Parisian society. Raphaël’s story explores ambition, love and the cost of possession, asking whether the desire for a fuller life can become a force that consumes it.