La piel de zapa

One day in 1830s Paris, penniless and on the verge of despair, the young Raphaël de Valentin receives a talisman with magical powers from an old antique dealer: the wild ass's skin. This amulet will grant him any wish he makes, but in return, it will shrink each time a wish is fulfilled, and with it, the life of its wearer will be shortened. Giving in to his inclination towards pleasure, Raphaël allows himself to be swept away by a life of excess, but with each moment of joy, the skin shrinks, soon plunging him into immense anguish. Thus, 'The Wild Ass's Skin' perfectly illustrates Balzac's thinking, and specifically his theory that passion is a fire that devours human beings; even though, guided by a noble intention, it can confer upon them a heroic grandeur. At 32 (the age he was when this book was published in 1831), Balzac was at the height of his creative powers, and his social and literary success continued to grow. Years later, after his death in 1850, he left behind the 91 completed works of 'The Human Comedy,' dozens of short stories, several plays, and other texts that undoubtedly constitute one of the most important monuments of European literature.