This book is a collection of short stories by Honore de Balzac, one of the greatest French writers of the 19th century. It showcases his mastery of psychological realism, his acute observation of social manners, and his exploration of the human condition. From the tragic fate of a young artist who pursues the ideal of beauty, to the comic misadventures of a provincial lawyer who aspires to high society, these stories offer a rich and varied panorama of Balzac's literary universe.

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