About the book: 2015 / Honore de Balzac's novel, which brought him his first literary fame, tells the story of a poor young ambitious Raphael Valentin, who, on the verge of suicide, accidentally bought in an antique In the shop there is a magic talisman - a piece of shagreen leather that fulfills all the wishes of its owner, but at the same time shortens his life every time. Having acquired wealth and pleasure, Valentin very soon finds himself faced with a choice: live for his own pleasure and thereby doom himself to a quick death - or “castrate his imagination”, indulge in self-restraint and, obeying the instinct of self-preservation, turn himself off from life.