Une passion dans le désert

This was my first story by Balzac and I really enjoyed it, even if it was sad. I like that Balzac framed the story as a discussion between two strangers, so that we now that he survives in the end. I like stories when I know the ending, and I wonder while reading how it can be possible. I love this sentence so much: “The Desert is God without mankind.” and when he says that the desert is “everything and nothing” A passion in the desert is such a great title, as passion refers to a religious passion as well as a romantic passion. It was so good!

it's also a racist story, when Balzac says that Arab people are animals: “So you have been eating some Arab or other, have you? That doesn't matter. They're animals just the same as you are.”

Reading this story makes me want to spend a night in the desert, and look at the sky and the moon reflected on the sand.

Read and reviewed: 2022-06-13