César Birotteau

by Honoré de Balzac

Histoire de la grandeur et de la décadence de César Birotteau or César Birotteau, is an 1837 novel by Honoré de Balzac, and is one of the Scènes de la vie parisienne in the series La Comédie humaine. Its main character is a Parisian perfumer, with the prototype being a legendary perfumer, Jean Vincent Bully, who achieves success in the cosmetics business, but becomes bankrupt due to property speculation.