La Peau de chagrin is an
1831 novel by
French novelist and playwright
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850). Set in early 19th-century
Paris, it tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of
shagreen that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin shrinks and consumes a portion of his physical energy.
La Peau de chagrin belongs to the
Études philosophiques group of Balzac's
sequence of novels,
La Comédie humaine. Although the novel uses
fantastic elements, its main focus is a
realistic portrayal of the excesses of
bourgeois materialism. The book's central theme is the conflict between desire and longevity. The magic skin represents the owner's life force, which is depleted through every expression of will, especially when it is employed for the acquisition of power. Ignoring a caution from the shopkeeper who offers the skin to him, the protagonist greedily surrounds himself with wealth, only to find himself miserable and decrepit at the story's end.
La Peau de chagrin firmly established Balzac as a writer of significance in France and abroad. His social circle widened significantly, and he was sought eagerly by publishers for future projects. It inspired
Giselher Klebe's opera
Die tödlichen Wünsche and may have influenced
Oscar Wilde's novel
The Picture of Dorian Gray.
