"Facino Cane" is an 1836

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by French author

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

(1799-1850) and included in the ''Scènes de la vie parisienne'' section of his

novel sequence A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...

La Comédie humaine LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

''. It first appeared in the ''Chronique de Paris'' on March 17, 1836Honoré de Balzac, ''The Works of Balzac: Modeste Mignon. Honorine. Facino Cane.'' Volume 18 of The Works of Balzac: Tr. Into English (Gebbie, 1900), xii. and in 1837 was classified by Balzac as a ''Philosophical Study'' (''Étude philosophique''). In 1843, it appeared with Balzac's novel ''

Albert Savarus ''Albert Savarus'' is an 1842 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) and included in his series of novels (or ''Roman-fleuve'') known as ''La Comédie humaine'' (''The Human Comedy'') which parodies and depicts Fr ...

''. In 1844, it became part of Balzac's ''La Comédie humaine''.

Plot

''Facino Cane'' is told in the first person by an unnamed narrator. It concerns a blind old man named Marco-Facino Cane, called "Father Canet", who claims to be a descendant of the 14th century condottiere of the same name.Anatole Cerfberr, Jules François Christophe, Paul Bourget (editors), ''Compendium. H. de Balzac's Comédie humaine.'' Translated by John Rudd. (Gebbie, 1899), 84-5. Father Canet is a

pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

in the and a clarionet-player. The narrator meets Facino Cane at the wedding celebration of his maid's sisters. His interest being piqued by the appearance of the old man, the narrator begins a conversation with him, and Facino Cane mentions being from Venice. When the narrator then mentions he would like to visit Venice, Facino Cane begs to be taken there. He then tells the story of his life and how he lost his status and money and became blind. The narrator promised to take Facino Cane with him to Venice some day, but the old man died that winter.

References

Books of La Comédie humaine French short stories

Cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

Short stories by Honoré de Balzac First-person narrative fiction {{1830s-story-stub