The Works of Honoré de Balzac

Honoré de Balzac

Apr 2006 · Cosimo, Inc.

About this ebook

Originally published in the early 1920's as part of a series, The Works of Honor De Balzac is a superb collection, which includes: . A Daughter of Eve . The Unconscious Mummers . A Prince of Bohemia . A Man of Business . Gaudissart II . The Firm of Nucingen. Each novella, expertly prefaced by George Saintsbury, displays Balzac's genius for short imaginative prose. Journalist and writer HONOR DE BALZAC (1799-1850) is considered one of the masters of realism in Western literature. A prodigious creator of novels and short stories, Balzac's literary masterpieces include Le Pre Goriot, Les Illusions Perdues, Les Paysans, La Femme de Trente Ans, and Eugnie Grandet.

About the author

Born on May 20, 1799, Honore de Balzac is considered one of the greatest French writers of all time. Balzac studied in Paris and worked as a law clerk while pursuing an unsuccessful career as an author. He soon accumulated enormous debts that haunted him most of his life. A prolific writer, Balzac would often write for 14 to-16 hours at a time. His writing is marked by realistic portrayals of ordinary, but exaggerated characters and intricate detail. In 1834, Balzac began organizing his works into a collection called The Human Comedy, an attempt to group his novels to present a complete social history of France. Characters in this project reappeared throughout various volumes, which ultimately consisted of approximately 90 works. Some of his works include Cesar Birotteau, Le Cousin Pons, Seraphita, and Le Cousine Bette. Balzac wed his lifelong love, Eveline Hanska in March 1850 although he was gravely ill at the time. Balzac died in August of that year.