The Unknown Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac

Two classic novellas explore the tension between artistic genius and obsession. A painter pursues unattainable perfection, while a composer remains devoted to music the world cannot comprehend. Through dramatic portraits of inspiration, madness, and creative struggle, the stories examine art’s conflict with the constraints of reality in nineteenth-century France.

Publication Year: 2000 (Revised Edition, NYRB Classics)
Publisher: New York Review Books
Language: English
Original Language: French
Translator: Richard Howard
Intended Age: Adult