Part of La Comédie Humaine
First published 2001
On a festive winter night in Paris, sculptor Sarrasine encounters a captivating opera singer whose voice entrances him completely. The artist becomes obsessed with the performer, seeing in this figure the perfect subject for his art. Music and sculpture seem to exchange their powers as Sarrasine pursues his muse with growing intensity. Yet mystery shrouds the singer's true nature, and this secret will prove deadly. As Sarrasine's passion deepens, he moves toward a shocking revelation that will cost him everything. The sculptor will fall victim to three daggers, his love story following the path of all enigmas toward death and the grave. From such endings, Balzac suggests, statues are born.
Genres: drama, classic-literature, french-literature, literary-fiction, tragedy, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, lyrical, mysterious, obsessive, passionate, tragic
Tropes: doomed-romance, hidden-identity, obsessive-love, tragic-ending
Setting: Paris, Opera House
Period: 19th Century, Winter
93 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Le Livre de Poche
Content warnings: death, murder, violence