Gobseck · 1830
Gobseck the moneylender is cold, miserly and quietly all-powerful: fashionable Paris comes to him for loans, from society ladies to ruined aristocrats. A short but dense tale about the power of money over people and the real cost of living on credit.
The Wild Ass's Skin · 1831
A young, impoverished man burning with ambition comes into possession of a magical piece of shagreen skin that grants any wish. But with every wish the talisman shrinks, and the life of its owner shrinks along with it. A philosophical novel about the price of desire and what we pay for our dreams coming true.
Lost Illusions · 1837