My Journey from Paris to Java is a short fantasy diversion to the mystical island of Java, where Balzac, or rather the narrateur, encounters a deadly poison-breathing tree, civilised monkeys, a love-sick sparrow and that epitome of Oriental desirability of his day - the women of Java.

Written just before he started on the multi-volume La Comedie humaine, this charmingly small work was nevertheless much loved by Balzac and provides a breathtaking view of his imagination