The first and only modern edition of the 1831 text of Romans et contes philosophiques, an anthology of short stories exploring fundamental problems of human existence -- questions of faith, the desire for immortality, the relationship between passion and artistic creativity, family honour, parents and children, the functioning of social institutions. Balzac explores all these themes using a variety of tones and colours ranging from the satirical, to the lyrical and to the fantastic. The anthology contains several of Balzac's most famous stories including Sarrasine, Le Chef d'oeuvre inconnu and L'Enfant maudit. The work is edited by Andrew Oliver, a well-known Balzac scholar, and comes with a cd-rom containing an extensive critical apparatus.