A Prince of Bohemia

In Balzac's glittering Bohemian world, talent survives where fortune has failed. Around the brilliant, insolent Count de la Palferine, a fading aristocrat with the poise of a conqueror and the debts of a drifter, unfolds a satire of Parisian society in which poverty, pride, wit, and vanity are inseparable. Through comic genealogy, duels, creditors, charity officials, and scandal, Balzac exposes the absurdities of nobility while celebrating the audacity of men who can turn humiliation into style. La Palferine emerges as a master of performance: mocking, seductive, reckless, and unexpectedly generous. His sharp encounters and infamous letter to Antonia reveal a man who can transform heartbreak into elegant irony. His pursuit of Claudine, a married woman whose devotion becomes absolute, deepens the novel's portrait of unequal passion. She lives for his slightest attention, writing with fervor, shame, and hope, while he remains amused, detached, and theatrically possessive. In their affair, Balzac explores love as obsession, social disguise, and the strange brilliance of a life lived entirely by wit. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.