The Alkahest

By Honoré de Balzac

Book Overview

""The Alkahest"" is a novel written by the famous French author Honore De Balzac. The story revolves around a young man named Gabriel who is an alchemist and is determined to find the secret of the philosopher's stone, also known as the alkahest. Gabriel is convinced that the stone can help him achieve his ultimate goal of immortality.Gabriel's search for the alkahest takes him on a journey through the world of alchemy, where he meets a variety of characters, including fellow alchemists, wealthy patrons, and beautiful women. Along the way, Gabriel experiences both triumphs and setbacks as he attempts to unravel the mysteries of the alkahest.As the story progresses, Gabriel's obsession with the alkahest begins to take a toll on his relationships with those around him, including his family and friends. He becomes increasingly isolated and consumed by his quest, leading to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion.""The Alkahest"" is a complex and engaging tale that explores themes of obsession, ambition, and the pursuit of knowledge. Balzac's vivid descriptions and intricate plot make for a captivating read that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.""'From this unimpeachable experiment, ' he cried, 'I deduce the existence of the Alkahest, the Absolute, --a substance common to all created things, differentiated by one primary force. Such is the net meaning and position of the problem of the Absolute, which appears to me to be solvable. In it we find the mysterious Ternary, before whose shrine humanity has knelt from the dawn of ages.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1162687568
• ISBN13: 9781162687568
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Flamand portrait

A Flamand portrait of the ups and downs on a burgeois family whose head turns deranged about chemical research. The title is not about any moral or philosophical absolute but about the "absolute basic element" that will allow him to transform substances like the good old philosophical stone of the alchemists. Most of the book is about the wreckage that this guy puts on his family while ruining his family a couple times, but the other main characters , his wife, daughter, a pure gentle guy in love with his daughter and a cold and calculating notary public who's also interested in the daughter are quite original, live and real. Exactly like Flamand paintings it is warm, soft, slow but charming. On the down side Balzac, being an outsider to science, shows not to have a clear distinction in his mind between a scientist and a crackpot.

Philosophal Stone and psychology

You'll have to like slow-rated stories... but that one will seduce you! There's some fantastic in it, with the famous quest of the Philosophal Stone. And also many psychology, with the interaction of all those souls living together in a rich house in Belgium. The first pages of that book are VERY important, explaining WHY Balzac just does not like to enter his novels "in medias res". Of course he takes his time to explain... So the reticent Balzac reader may understand better the writer. Not bad, eh?