Every Baron de Luizzi has, for centuries, sold his soul to the Devil for wealth, knowledge, and power. The latest, Armand de Luizzi, comes to sign his own pact in which he will be required to prove that those things have made him happy for ten consecutive years. If they do not, he must surrender his soul. Luizzi also asks for the right to publish all that the Devil reveals to him-The Devil's Memoirs.
However, the Devil warns him that, once his narration begins, it cannot be stopped and Luizzi will be reluctant to see and hear some of the things he will reveal. He gives him a purse with coins inscribed, "One month in the life of Baron de Luizzi." Anytime Luizzi finds he can't bear to see, hear, or participate in any event, he can opt out by returning a coin to the Devil and be exempted, but he will also shorten his life by the same amount.
The Devil's Memoirs (1838) is filled with tales of terror, wickedness, depravity, and cruelty. In it, the worlds of nobility, finance, even crime, are laid bare with a cruel lucidity and a rare psychological truth. Frédéric Soulié (1800-1847) shows us the worst aspects of 1830 France, driven by lust, the lure of easy money and the thirst for revenge. The Devil is not just the author's spokesperson, but his avenger. Few writers have achieved such evocative power in condemning the world in which they lived. The book is, in that respect, surprisingly modern.