Z. Marcas by Honoré de Balzac. Short summary

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З. Marcas was born into a poor family but had an ambitious character. At age 12, he arrives on foot in Paris, where he manages to graduate from law school and rise to the rank of senior clerk.

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З. Markas tells his roommates the story of his life. He once studied to be a priest in his youth, but was too ambitious and came to Paris on foot at age 12. There the young man graduated from the Faculty of Law. At the same time, he moonlighted in the office of a solicitor and rose to become a senior clerk.

Marcas knew the law well and understood it better than lawyers, had a diploma of doctor of law. The young man also had the gift of an orator, writing reports of meetings for a newspaper. He was astonished at the ignorance of those who had taken over the government. But the man was poor and could not be elected to the House. To get money, Markas enters the service of a wealthy deputy, hoping to further gain his support.

Three years later, thanks to the man’s efforts, his benefactor has become a gifted political figure. He realizes that Markas is a dangerous rival. A power struggle begins between them. When it ends, Markas is left out of business, he could not find his place and was slandered.