Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

By (author): "John E. Woods, Patrick Süskind"
Publish Date: 1985
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
ISBN0140120831
ISBN139780140120837
AsinPerfume: The Story of a Murderer
CharactersJean-Baptiste Grenouille, Giuseppe Baldini, Madame Gaillard, Jeanne Bu
Original titleDas Parfum. Die Geschichte eines Mörders
An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder.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 fresh-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 brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.