A masterpiece of 20th-century fiction, a classic that continues to captivate new generations.

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has his birthmark: he emits no scent. At the same time, he possesses an exceptional gift: a prodigious sense of smell that allows him to perceive all the odors of the world. From the misery into which he is born, Grenouille fights against his condition and climbs the social ladder, becoming a renowned perfumer. He creates perfumes capable of inspiring sympathy, love, compassion… But to achieve these master formulas, he must murder young virgins, obtain their bodily fluids, and liquefy their intimate scents.

Patrick Süskind, turned into a master of ironic naturalism, conveys to us a sharp and disillusioned vision of man in a book full of olfactory wisdom, imagination, and great entertainment. His persuasion matches that of his character and offers us a literary immersion into the natural rainbow of scents and the disturbing abysses of the human spirit.

Nine years on the German weekly Spiegel’s bestseller list and twenty-four million copies sold in the forty-seven languages in which it has been published have made El perfume an unprecedented success in the publishing world, a classic of our time that continues to fascinate and terrify readers.

The Singular Contemporánea collection from Austral revives great 20th-century classics very different from each other: from La naranja mecánica or El perfume to Si esto es un hombre or La trilogía de Nueva York. Dystopia, historical memory, European short novels, or science fiction all in one carefully curated and recognizable library. A way to bring together essential readings in current editions.