El Verdugo

Description of book

'El Verdugo' is a short story by Honoré de Balzac. The story is set in Spain during the Peninsular War, in the coastal town of Menda. The occupying French garrison is commanded by a young officer named Victor Marchand, and he is in love with Clara, the daughter of Marquis Léganès, who is the local grandee. One night under cover of a local festival, there is an uprising against the French garrison, supported by British naval ships. The uprising is led by the Marquis and his sons. Marchand survives because he is warned by Clara, and as the last French survivor he flees to the nearby French military headquarters.