The Sorrows of Satan

The action of the novel takes place in London in 1895. Satan walks among people in search of another toy to amuse himself, to show God that he can corrupt anyone. He wants to find someone worthy, who can resist temptations, which will be difficult because disbelief, corruption, and venality prevail around. Jeffrey Tempest is a young impoverished writer, barely making ends meet, who unsuccessfully tries to sell his novel. Once again, when he contemplates his desperate situation, he notices three letters on the table. The first is from a friend in Australia, who became rich from gold mining; he reports that he is sending a friend to Jeffrey who will help him escape poverty. The second is a note from a lawyer, detailing that he has inherited a fortune from a deceased relative. The third is a letter of recommendation from Prince Lucio Rimanez, "the deliverer from poverty," about whom the friend from Australia wrote. Will Jeffrey be able to make the right choice, to preserve his talent and soul?.. "The Sorrows of Satan" is a mystical decadent novel by English writer Marie Corelli, published in 1895 and became the biggest bestseller in the history of Victorian England.