'The Magic Skin', also known as 'La Peau de chagrin' is a novel by French author and playwright Honoré de Balzac. Set in early 19th-century Paris, it tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of shagreen (untanned skin from a wild ass) that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin shrinks and consumes a portion of his physical energy.