Salammbô

Set in ancient Carthage in the years after the First Punic War, this historical novel follows the revolt of the city’s unpaid mercenary armies and the young priestess Salammbo, daughter of the general Hamilcar Barca. When the mercenary leader Matho steals the sacred veil of the goddess Tanit, Salammbo is drawn into the siege and slaughter that follow. Flaubert spent years researching Punic religion, warfare, and ritual, and the result is a lush, brutal reconstruction of a vanished world, heavy with incense, gold, and blood. Written after Madame Bovary, it shocked and fascinated readers with its cruelty and exotic detail. This free PDF and EPUB edition brings one of the strangest works of French realism to new readers.