Histoire de la grandeur et de la decadence de Cesar Birotteau or Cesar Birotteau, is an 1837 novel by Honore de Balzac as part of his series La Comedie humaine. Its main character is a Parisian perfumier who achieves success in the cosmetics business, but becomes bankrupt due to property speculation. Un honnete parfumeur, a la tete d'une entreprise familiale, entreprend sur le conseil d'un notaire vereux de developper son commerce: desireux de couler l'huile de Macassar, qui lui fait concurrence, il invente l'Eau carminative et la Double Pate des Sultanes, decouvre la publicite et accede a la...