It is surprising but true: a polished, mature work by Marcel Proust that is unavailable in English translation-until now. In this overlooked comedic gem based on a true story, the author considered one of the most important writers of the twentieth century tells the tale of a con artist who claimed he could manufacture diamonds, with each chapter of the tale written in the style of a different French writer.

This delicious spoof of Balzac, Flaubert, Chateaubriand, and others is presented in a sparkling, nuanced translation by the award-winning Charlotte Mandell, exclusively for The Art of the Novella series.