About The Wild Ass's Skin “Haunted by the strangest shapes, by marvelous creations belonging to the borderland betwixt life and death, he walked as if under the spell of a dream […] The human race was revealed in all the grandeur of its wretchedness; in all the splendor of its infinite littleness.” The Wild Ass's Skin is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac, published in 1831; part of the Études philosophiques (Philosophical Studies) section of French author Honoré de Balzac’s celebrated Human Comedy series. This edition features the English translation by Ellen Marriage. Exploring the extravagances of bourgeois materialism, the novel relates the fantastical story of a young man named Raphaël who stumbles on a magical piece of wild ass’s skin, with the power to grant wishes; but these wishes come at a cost. An ingenious and insightful literary classic, and an unmissable read.