In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift - an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume" - the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.(less)
Published January 26th 2001 by Knopf (first published 1985)
ISBN
0140120831 (ISBN13: 9780140120837)
edition language
Arabic
original title
Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders
characters
Grenouille
literary awards
World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1987), PEN Translation Prize (1987)
