Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Elixir of Life

By: Honoré de Balzac
Narrated by: Paul Spera
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £3.99

Buy Now for £3.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

"The Elixir of Life" is a fantastic tale by the French novelist and writer Honoré de Balzac in which he gives a satirical version of the legend of Don Juan. This early short story was originally published in 1830; like all the pieces of Balzac’s "Comédie Humaine", it is considered a stand-alone piece of literature.

The spoiled son of a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan Belvidero cannot wait for the moment to claim the family wealth and title for himself. His father calls to his death-bed to inform him that he is in possession of a magic, death-defying potion. If the son will only rub the liquid on his dead body, the father will come back to life. Don Juan assures his father that he will resurrect him, but will he keep his promise or betray the old man?

Honoré de Balzac's keen observation of detail, subtle psychology and unfiltered representation of society gave him his place as one of the founders and great masters of realism in European literature with his magnum opus, "La Comédie Humaine" ("The Human Comedy"). His characters are complex, morally ambiguous and utterly real.

©2018 Compagnie du Savoir (P)2018 Compagnie du Savoir
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

On the Irrawaddy, A Story of the First Burmese War cover art
The Other Wise Man cover art
Dracula's Guest cover art
Father Goriot cover art
Of One Blood; or The Hidden Self (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
Dracula's Daughters: Classic Tales of Vampire Women & Their Thirsts cover art
Vintage Vampire Stories cover art
The Broken Wings cover art
Phantastes cover art
The Poor Clare cover art
The Bondwoman's Narrative cover art
The Monk cover art
Les Miserables cover art
The Canterville Ghost cover art
The Raven cover art
Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost cover art

What listeners say about The Elixir of Life

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.