
In the waning days of 1800, a lone stranger arrives at the Tuileries, accompanied by a solemn woman and a weary Italian girl. Their striking appearance—silver‑streaked hair, an air of faded grandeur, and eyes that betray deep sorrow—draws the wary gaze of passersby. As the trio pauses beside the ruins of a demolished palace, the foreigner’s resolve becomes clear: he is driven by a desperate need to be heard by the new power that dominates Paris.
Determined, he confronts the consular guard, demanding a summons to Bonaparte himself. The clash of his stubborn insistence with rigid military protocol sets off a tense negotiation, while his cryptic Italian words hint at a hidden agenda. As the bustling streets of the capital buzz around them, the stranger’s audacious request threatens to upend the fragile order of the post‑revolutionary court, promising a confrontation that will test loyalties and ambitions alike.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (134K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2018-09-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1799–1850
A giant of French fiction, he turned the crowded streets, salons, and back rooms of 19th-century France into vivid, gripping stories. His vast cycle of novels and tales, known as La Comédie humaine, helped shape the modern realist novel.
View all books