Honoré de Balzac (French: Honoré de Balzac). Born May 20, 1799 in Tours - died August 18, 1850 in Paris. French writer, one of the founders of realism in European literature.
Largest work Balzac - a series of novels and stories “Human Comedy”, painting a picture of life modern writer French society. Balzac's work was very popular in Europe and, during his lifetime, earned him a reputation as one of the greatest prose writers of the 19th century. The works of Balzac influenced the prose of Faulkner and others.
Honore de Balzac was born in Tours in the family of a peasant from Languedoc, Bernard François Balssa (06/22/1746-06/19/1829). Balzac's father became rich by buying and selling confiscated noble lands during the revolution, and later became an assistant to the mayor of Tours. No relation to the French writer Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (1597-1654). Father Honore changed his last name and became Balzac, and later bought himself the particle “de”. Mother was the daughter of a Parisian merchant.
The father prepared his son to become a lawyer. In 1807-1813, Balzac studied at the College of Vendôme, in 1816-1819 - at the Paris School of Law, and at the same time worked as a scribe for a notary; however, he abandoned his legal career and devoted himself to literature. The parents did not do much with their son. He was placed at the Collège Vendôme against his will. Meetings with family were prohibited there all year round, with the exception of the Christmas holidays. During the first years of his studies, he had to be in a punishment cell many times. In the fourth grade, Honore began to come to terms with school life, but did not stop ridiculing teachers... At the age of 14, he fell ill, and his parents took him home at the request of the college authorities. For five years Balzac was seriously ill, it was believed that there was no hope of recovery, but soon after the family moved to Paris in 1816, he recovered.
After 1823, he published several novels under various pseudonyms in the spirit of “frantic romanticism.” Balzac strove to follow literary fashion, and later he himself called these literary experiments “sheer literary swinishness” and preferred not to remember them. In 1825-1828 he tried to engage in publishing, but failed.
In 1829, the first book signed with the name “Balzac” was published - the historical novel “The Chouans” (Les Chouans). Balzac's formation as a writer was influenced by the historical novels of Walter Scott. Balzac's subsequent works: "Scenes privacy"(Scènes de la vie privée, 1830), the novel "The Elixir of Longevity" (L"Élixir de longue vie, 1830-1831, a variation on the themes of the legend of Don Juan); the story "Gobseck" (Gobseck, 1830) attracted the attention of the reader and critics In 1831 Balzac published his philosophical novel « Shagreen leather"(La Peau de chagrin) and begins the novel "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman" (French) (La femme de trente ans). The cycle “Mischievous Stories” (Contes drolatiques, 1832-1837) is an ironic stylization of Renaissance short stories. The partially autobiographical novel Louis Lambert (1832) and especially the later Seraphîta (1835) reflected Balzac’s fascination with the mystical concepts of E. Swedenborg and Cl. de Saint Martin.
His hope of becoming rich had not yet been realized (he was weighed down by debt - the result of his unsuccessful business ventures) when fame began to come to him. Meanwhile, he continued to lead a hard working life, working at a desk for 15-16 hours a day, and publishing three, four and even five, six books annually.
The end of the 1820s and the beginning of the 1830s, when Balzac entered literature, was the period of greatest flowering of the work of romanticism during French literature. Great novel In European literature, by the time Balzac arrived, there were two main genres: the novel of the individual - an adventurous hero (for example, Robinson Crusoe) or a self-absorbed, lonely hero (The Sorrows of Young Werther by W. Goethe) and a historical novel (Walter Scott).
Balzac moves away from both the novel of personality and historical novel. He strives to show an "individualized type." The center of his creative attention, according to a number of Soviet literary scholars, is not heroic or outstanding personality, and modern bourgeois society, France of the July Monarchy.
“Studies on Morals” unfolds the picture of France, depicts the life of all classes, all social conditions, all social institutions. Their leitmotif is the victory of the financial bourgeoisie over the landed and clan aristocracy, the strengthening of the role and prestige of wealth, and the associated weakening or disappearance of many traditional ethical and moral principles.
In those created in the first five to six years of it writing activity works depict the most diverse areas of contemporary French life: village, province, Paris; various social groups: merchants, aristocracy, clergy; various social institutions: family, state, army.
In 1832, 1843, 1847 and 1848-1850. Balzac visited Russia, St. Petersburg.
From August to October 1843, Balzac lived in Titov's house at 16 Millionnaya Street in St. Petersburg.
In the unfinished “Letter about Kyiv” and private letters he left mentions of his stay in the Ukrainian towns of Brody, Radzivilov, Dubno, Vishnevets and others. He visited Kyiv in 1847, 1848 and 1850.
He was buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise cemetery.
"Human Comedy"
In 1831, Balzac conceived the idea of creating a multi-volume work - a “picture of morals” of his time, a huge work, which he later entitled “The Human Comedy”. According to Balzac, The Human Comedy was supposed to be artistic history and the artistic philosophy of France as it developed after the revolution. Balzac worked on this work throughout his entire subsequent life; he included most of the already written works in it, and revised them specifically for this purpose. The cycle consists of three parts: “Etudes on Morals”, “Philosophical Studies” and “Analytical Studies”.
The most extensive is the first part - “Etudes on Morals”, which includes:
"Scenes from Private Life"
“Gobsek” (1830), “A Thirty-Year-Old Woman” (1829-1842), “Colonel Chabert” (1844), “Père Goriot” (1834-35), etc.;
"Scenes of Provincial Life"
“The Priest of Tours” (Le curé de Tours, 1832), “Eugénie Grandet” (1833), “Lost Illusions” (1837-43), etc.;
"Scenes from Parisian Life"
trilogy “The History of the Thirteen” (L'Histoire des Treize, 1834), “César Birotteau” (1837), “The Banker's House of Nucingen” (La Maison Nucingen, 1838), “The Splendor and Poverty of the Courtesans” (1838-1847) etc.;
"Scenes of Political Life"
“A Case from the Time of Terror” (1842), etc.;
"Scenes of Military Life"
"Chouans" (1829) and "Passion in the Desert" (1837);
"Scenes of Village Life"
"Lily of the Valley" (1836), etc.
Subsequently, the cycle was replenished with the novels “Modeste Mignon” (Modeste Mignon, 1844), “Cousin Bette” (La Cousine Bette, 1846), “Cousin Pons” (Le Cousin Pons, 1847), and also, in its own way summing up the cycle, novel "The Inside Out" modern history"(L'envers de l'histoire contemporaine, 1848).
“Philosophical Studies” are reflections on the laws of life: “Shagreen Skin” (1831), etc.
The greatest “philosophy” is inherent in “Analytical Etudes”. In some of them, for example, in the story “Louis Lambert,” the volume of philosophical calculations and reflections many times exceeds the volume of the plot narrative.
Personal life of Honore de Balzac
In 1832 he met Evelina Ganskaya (widowed in 1842), with whom he married on March 2, 1850 in the city of Berdichev, in the Church of St. Barbara. In 1847-1850 lived on the estate of his beloved in Verkhovna (now a village in the Ruzhinsky district of the Zhitomir region, Ukraine).
Novels by Honoré de Balzac
Chouans, or Brittany in 1799 (1829)
Shagreen Leather (1831)
Louis Lambert (1832)
Eugenia Grande (1833)
The Story of Thirteen (1834)
Father Goriot (1835)
Lily of the Valley (1835)
Banking house of Nucingen (1838)
Beatrice (1839)
Country Priest (1841)
Screwtape (1842)
Ursula Mirue (1842)
Woman of Thirty (1842)
Lost Illusions (I, 1837; II, 1839; III, 1843)
Peasants (1844)
Cousin Betta (1846)
Cousin Pons (1847)
The Splendor and Poverty of Courtesans (1847)
MP for Arsi (1854)
Tales and stories of Honore de Balzac
The House of the Cat Playing Ball (1829)
Marriage contract (1830)
Gobsek (1830)
Vendetta (1830)
Goodbye! (1830)
Country Ball (1830)
Conjugal Consent (1830)
Sarrasine (1830)
Red Hotel (1831)
The Unknown Masterpiece (1831)
Colonel Chabert (1832)
Abandoned Woman (1832)
Belle of the Empire (1834)
Involuntary Sin (1834)
The Devil's Heir (1834)
The Constable's Wife (1834)
Salvation cry (1834)
The Witch (1834)
Perseverance of Love (1834)
Bertha's Repentance (1834)
Naivety (1834)
The Marriage of the Beauty of the Empire (1834)
Forgiven Melmoth (1835)
Mass of the Atheist (1836)
Facino Canet (1836)
The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan (1839)
Pierre Grassu (1840)
The Imaginary Mistress (1841)
Film adaptations of Honore de Balzac
The brilliance and poverty of courtesans (France; 1975; 9 episodes): director M. Cazeneuve
Colonel Chabert (film) (French Le Colonel Chabert, 1994, France)
Don't touch the ax (France-Italy, 2007)
Shagreen leather (La peau de chagrin, 2010, France)
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Biography, life story of Honore de Balzac
Honore de Balzac - famous French writer XIX century, one of the creators realistic direction in European literature.
Origin
Honore de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799 in Tours, located near the Loire River. The daughter of a merchant from Paris gave birth to a boy. His father, Bernard Francois, was a simple peasant, but was able to become a fairly rich man thanks to his ability to trade.
Bernard was so successful in buying and then reselling land plots confiscated from nobles during the revolution that he was able to become a popular man. Real name Balsa, for some reason, did not suit Father Honore, and he changed it to Balzac. In addition, by paying officials a certain amount of money, he became the owner of the “de” particle. Since then, he began to be called more nobly, and by the sound of his first and last name he could well pass for a representative of the privileged class. However, in those days in France, many ambitious commoners who had at least some francs in their souls did this.
Bernard believed that without studying law, his son would forever remain the son of a peasant. Only advocacy, in his opinion, could somehow bring the young man closer to the circle of the elite.
Studies
In the period from 1807 to 1813, fulfilling the will of his father, Honore completed a course of study at the College of Vendôme, and in 1816-1819 he learned the basics of science at the Paris School of Law. The young Balzac did not forget about practice, performing the duties of a scribe for a notary.
At that time he firmly decided to devote himself literary creativity. Who knows, his dream could have come true if the father had paid more attention to his son. But the parents did not pay due attention to what young Honore lived and breathed. The father was busy with his own affairs, and the mother, who was 30 years younger than him, was distinguished by a frivolous character and often found pleasure in the chambers of strange men.
It should be noted that the future famous writer I didn’t want to become a lawyer at all, so I studied at these institutions, overcoming myself. Moreover, he amused himself by mocking the teachers. Therefore, it is not surprising that the careless student was repeatedly locked in a punishment cell. At the College of Vendôme, he was generally left to his own devices, because there parents could visit their children only once a year.
CONTINUED BELOW
For 14-year-old Honore, his college studies ended with a serious illness. It is not known why this happened, but the administration of the institution insisted that Balzac immediately go home. The illness lasted for five long years, during which doctors, one and all, gave very disappointing prognoses. It seemed that recovery would never come, but a miracle happened.
In 1816, the family moved to the capital, and here the disease suddenly subsided.
The beginning of a creative journey
Beginning in 1823, young Balzac began to make a name for himself in literary circles. He published his first novels under fictitious names, and tried to write in the spirit of extreme romanticism. Such conditions were dictated by the fashion that prevailed in France at that time. Over time, Honore was skeptical about his attempts at writing. So much so that in the future I tried not to think about them at all.
In 1825, he tried not to write books, but to print them. Attempts with varying success lasted for three years, after which Balzac became completely disillusioned with the publishing business.
Writing craft
Honoré returned to creativity again, finishing work on the historical novel “The Chouans” in 1829. By that time, the aspiring writer had such confidence in his abilities that he signed the work with his real name. Then everything went very smoothly, “Scenes of Private Life”, “Elixir of Longevity”, “Gobsek”, “Shagreen Skin” appeared. The last of these works is a philosophical novel.
Balzac worked with all his strength, spending 15 hours a day at his desk. The writer was forced to write to the limit of his capabilities, because he owed creditors a large sum money.
Honore needed considerable finances for various dubious enterprises. At first, cherishing the hope of buying a silver mine at a reasonable price, he rushed to Sardinia. Then he acquired a spacious estate in rural areas, the contents of which took a toll on the owner’s pockets. Finally, he founded a couple of periodicals, the release of which was not commercially successful.
However, such hard work brought him good dividends in the form of fame. Balzac published several books every year. Not every colleague could boast of such a result.
At the time when Balzac loudly declared himself in French literature (the end of the 1820s), the direction of romanticism blossomed wildly. Many writers created the image of an adventurous or lonely hero. However, Balzac sought to move away from the description heroic personalities and focus on bourgeois society as a whole, which was the France of the July Monarchy. The writer depicted the life of representatives of almost all strata, from village workers and merchants to priests and aristocrats.
Marriage
Balzac visited Russia several times, in particular St. Petersburg. During one of his visits, fate brought him together with Evelina Ganskaya. The Countess belonged to a noble Polish family. A romance began, which ended in a wedding. The solemn event took place in the Church of St. Barbara in the city of Berdichev early morning, without unauthorized persons.
Balzac's beloved had an estate in Verkhovna, a village located in Ukraine in the Zhitomir region. The couple settled there. Their love lasted almost 20 years, at the same time Balzac and Ganskaya often managed to live separately and not see each other for several years.
Balzac's hobbies
Previously, Balzac, despite his shy nature, awkward behavior and rather short stature, had many women. All of them could not resist Honore's energetic pressure. Partners young man It was mostly ladies who were much older than him.
As an example, we can recall the history of his relationship with 42-year-old Laura de Berni, who raised nine children. Balzac was 22 years younger, however, this did not stop him from achieving a mature woman. And this can be understood, because in this way he tried, albeit with great delay, to receive the portion of maternal affection due to each child. Those that he was deprived of as a child.
Death of a Writer
IN recent years Throughout his life, the writer was often sick. Apparently, a disdainful attitude towards one’s own body made itself felt. Balzac never sought to lead healthy image life.
Your last earthly refuge famous writer found at the famous Parisian cemetery Père Lachaise. Death occurred on August 18, 1850.
Honore de Balzac, French writer, “the father of the modern European novel,” was born on May 20, 1799 in the city of Tours. His parents did not have noble origins: his father came from a peasant background with a good commercial streak, and later changed his surname from Balsa to Balzac. The particle “de”, indicating membership in the nobility, is also a later acquisition of this family.
The ambitious father saw his son as a lawyer, and in 1807 the boy, against his wishes, was sent to the College of Vendôme - educational institution with very strict rules. The first years of study turned into real torment for young Balzac; he was a regular in the punishment cell, then he gradually got used to it, and his internal protest resulted in parodies of teachers. Soon the teenager was overtaken by a serious illness, which forced him to leave college in 1813. The forecasts were the most pessimistic, but after five years the illness receded, allowing Balzac to continue his education.
From 1816 to 1819, living with his parents in Paris, he worked in a judge's office as a scribe and at the same time studied at the Paris School of Law, but did not want to connect his future with jurisprudence. Balzac managed to convince his father and mother that a literary career was exactly what he needed, and in 1819 he took up writing. In the period before 1824, the aspiring author published under pseudonyms, issuing one after another frankly opportunistic stories that did not have much artistic value novels, which he himself later defined as “pure literary disgusting,” trying to remember as rarely as possible.
The next stage of Balzac's biography (1825-1828) was associated with publishing and printing activities. His hopes of getting rich were not justified; moreover, huge debts appeared, which forced the failed publisher to pick up the pen again. In 1829, the reading public learned about the existence of the writer Honore de Balzac: the first novel, “The Chouans,” signed with his real name, was published, and in the same year it was followed by “The Physiology of Marriage” (1829), a manual written with humor for married people men. Both works did not go unnoticed, and the novel “Elixir of Longevity” (1830-1831) and the story “Gobsek” (1830) caused quite a wide resonance. 1830, the publication of “Scenes from Private Life” can be considered the beginning of work on the main literary work– a cycle of stories and novels called “The Human Comedy”.
For several years the writer worked as a freelance journalist, but until 1848 his main thoughts were devoted to writing works for the “Human Comedy,” which included a total of about a hundred works. Balzac worked on the schematic features of a large-scale canvas depicting the life of all social strata of contemporary France in 1834. He came up with the name for the cycle, which was replenished with more and more new works, in 1840 or 1841, and in 1842 the next edition was published with new title. Fame and honor outside his homeland came to Balzac during his lifetime, but he did not even think of resting on his laurels, especially since the amount of debt remaining after the failure publishing activities, was quite impressive. The tireless novelist, correcting the work once again, could significantly change the text and completely redraw the composition.
Despite his busy work, he found time for social entertainment, trips, including abroad, did not ignore earthly pleasures. In 1832 or 1833, he began an affair with Ewelina Hanska, a Polish countess who was not free at that time. The beloved gave Balzac a promise to marry him when she became a widow, but after 1841, when her husband died, she was in no hurry to keep it. Mental anguish, impending illness and enormous fatigue caused by many years of intense activity made the last years of Balzac’s biography not the happiest. His wedding with Ganskaya still took place - in March 1850, but in August the news of the writer’s death spread throughout Paris and then throughout Europe.
Balzac's creative heritage is huge and multifaceted, his talent as a narrator, realistic descriptions, ability to create dramatic intrigue, convey the most subtle impulses human soul placed him among the greatest prose writers of the century. His influence was experienced by both E. Zola, M. Proust, G. Flaubert, F. Dostoevsky, and prose writers of the 20th century.
It is difficult to find a person as versatile as this writer was. He combined talent, uncontrollable temperament and love of life. In his life, great ideas and achievements were combined with petty ambition. His excellent knowledge of highly specialized areas allowed him to speak boldly and reasonably about many problems in psychology, medicine and anthropology.
The life of any person is the sum of many patterns. The life of Honore de Balzac will be no exception.
Brief biography of Honore de Balzac
The writer's father was Bernard Francois Balssa, born into a poor peasant family. He was born on June 22, 1746 in the village of Nogueire in the Tarn department. There were 11 children in his family, of whom he was the eldest. Bernard Balsse's family predicted a spiritual career for him. However, the young man, possessing an extraordinary mind, love of life and activity, did not want to part with the temptations of life, and wearing a cassock was not at all part of his plans. The life credo of this person is health. Bernard Balssa had no doubt that he would live to be a hundred years old; he enjoyed the country air and amused himself with love affairs until his old age. This man was characterized by eccentricity. He became rich thanks to the Great french revolution, selling and buying confiscated lands of nobles. He later became assistant to the mayor of the French city of Tours. Bernard Balssa changed his surname, thinking it was plebeian. In the 1830s, his son Honore would also change his surname by adding the noble particle “de” to it, he would justify this act with the version of his noble origin from the family of Balzac d'Entregues.
At the age of fifty, Balzac's father married a girl from the Salambier family, receiving with her a decent dowry. She was 32 years younger than her fiancé and had a penchant for romance and hysteria. Even after his marriage, the writer’s father led a very free lifestyle. Honore's mother was a sensitive and intelligent woman. Despite his penchant for mysticism and resentment at all white light, she, like her husband, did not disdain having affairs on the side. She loved her illegitimate children more than her firstborn Honore. She constantly demanded obedience, complained about non-existent illnesses and grumbled. This poisoned Honore's childhood and affected his behavior, affections and creativity. But a big blow for him was also the execution of his uncle, his father’s brother, for killing a pregnant peasant woman. It was after this shock that the writer changed his last name in the hope of escaping such a relationship. But his belonging to the family of nobles has not yet been proven.
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The writer's childhood. Education
The writer's childhood years were spent outside his parents' home. Until the age of three he was looked after by a nurse, and after that he lived in a boarding school. Afterwards he ended up at the Vendôme College of the Oratorian Fathers (he stayed there from 1807 to 1813). The time he spent within the walls of the college is colored with bitterness in the writer’s memory. The writer's severe mental trauma arose in Honore due to the total absence of any freedom, drill and corporal punishment.
The only consolation for Honore at this time is books. The librarian at the École Polytechnique Supérieure, who taught him mathematics, allowed him to use them unlimitedly. For Balzac, reading replaced real life. Due to his immersion in dreams, he often did not hear what was happening in class, for which he was punished.
Honore was once subjected to such punishment as “wooden trousers.” They put him in stocks, which caused him to have a nervous breakdown. After this, the parents returned their son home. He began to wander around like a somnambulist, slowly answering some questions, and it was difficult for him to return to real life.
It is still not clear whether Balzac was treated at this time, but Jean-Baptiste Naccard observed his entire family, including Honore. Later he became not just a family friend, but especially a friend of the writer.
From 1816 to 1819 Honore studied at the Paris School of Law. His father predicted a future for him as a lawyer, but the young man studied without enthusiasm. After graduating from school without obvious success, Balzac began working as a clerk in the office of a Parisian solicitor, but this did not interest him.
Balzac's later life
Honoré decided to become a writer. He asked his parents for financial help for his dream. The family council decided to help their son for 2 years. Honore's mother initially opposed this, but soon she was the first to realize the hopelessness of trying to contradict her son. As a result, Honore began his work. He wrote the drama Cromwell. The work read at the family council was declared worthless. Honoré was denied further financial support.
After this failure, Balzac began difficult period. He did “day labor” and wrote novels for others. It is still unknown how many such works he created and under whose name he created.
Balzac's writing career began in 1820. Then he publishes action-packed novels under a pseudonym and writes “codes” of secular behavior. One of his pseudonyms is Horace de Saint-Aubin.
The writer's anonymity ended in 1829. It was then that he published the novel “The Chouans, or Brittany in 1799.” Works began to be published under his own name.
Balzac had his own rather strict and very peculiar daily routine. The writer went to bed no later than 6-7 pm and got up to work at 1 am. The work lasted until 8 am. After this, Honore went back to bed for an hour and a half, followed by breakfast and coffee. Afterwards, he remained at his desk until four o'clock in the afternoon. Then the writer took a bath and sat down to work again.
The difference between the writer and his father was that he did not think to live long. Honore treated his own health with great frivolity. He had problems with his teeth, but he did not go to the doctors.
The year 1832 became critical for Balzac. He was already famous. Novels were created that brought him popularity. Publishers are generous and pay advances for works not yet completed. All the more unexpected was the illness that arose in the writer, the origins of which may come from childhood. Honore developed verbal impairments and began to experience auditory and even visual hallucinations. The writer is diagnosed with a symptom of paraphasia (incorrect pronunciation of sounds or replacement of words with ones that are similar in sound and meaning).
Paris began to be filled with rumors about the strange behavior of the writer, about the incoherence of his speech and incomprehensible thoughtfulness. In an attempt to stop this, Balzac goes to Sasha, where he lives with old acquaintances.
Despite his illness, Balzac retained his intellect, thought and consciousness. His illness did not affect the personality itself.
Soon the writer began to feel better, his confidence returned. Balzac returned to Paris. The writer started drinking again huge amount coffee, using it as a dope. For four years Balzac was in good physical and mental health.
During a walk on June 26, 1836, the writer felt dizzy, unsteady and unsteady in his gait, and blood rushed to his head. Balzac fell unconscious. The fainting did not last long; the very next day the writer felt only some weakness. After this incident, Balzac often complained of pain in his head.
This fainting was confirmation of hypertension. Throughout the next year, Balza worked with his feet dipped in a bowl of mustard water. Dr. Nakkar gave the writer recommendations that he did not follow.
Having finished his next work, the writer returned to society. He tried to regain lost acquaintances and connections. Biographers say that he made a strange impression, being dressed out of fashion and with unwashed hair. But as soon as he joined the conversation, those around him turned all their gazes to him, ceasing to notice the oddities appearance. No one was indifferent to his knowledge, intelligence and talent.
The following years the writer complained of shortness of breath and anxiety. Balzac could hear wheezing in his lungs. In the 40s, the writer suffered from jaundice. After this, he began to experience eyelid twitching and stomach cramps. In 1846 there was a relapse of this disease. Balzac suffered from memory impairment and complications in communication. Forgetting nouns and names of objects has become frequent. Since the late 40s, Balzac suffered from diseases of the internal organs. The writer suffered from Moldavian fever. He was ill for about 2 months, and after recovering, he returned to Paris.
In 1849, cardiac weakness began to increase, and shortness of breath appeared. He began to suffer from bronchitis. Due to hypertension, retinal detachment began. There was a short-term improvement, which again gave way to a worsening of the condition. Cardiac hypertrophy and edema began to develop, and fluid appeared in the abdominal cavity. Soon gangrene and periodic delirium joined everything. He was visited by friends, including Victor Hugo, who left very tragic notes.
The writer died in agony in the arms of his mother. Balzac's death occurred on the night of August 18–19, 1850.
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Writer's personal life
Balzac was very timid and clumsy by nature. And he felt timid even when a pretty young lady approached him. Next door to him lived the de Bernis family, who occupied a higher position. The writer had a passion for Laura de Berni. She was 42 years old and had 9 children, while Balzac had just turned 20. the lady did not immediately surrender to Honore, but was one of his first women. She revealed to him the secrets of a woman’s heart and all the delights of love.
His other Laura was the Duchess d'Abrantes. She appeared in the writer’s life a year after Madame de Bernis. This was an aristocrat unattainable for Balzac, but she too fell before him after 8 months.
Few ladies were able to resist Honore. But such a highly moral woman was found. Her name was Zulma Karro. This was the Versailles friend of his sister Laura de Surville. Honoré felt passion for her, but she felt only maternal tenderness for him. The woman firmly said that they could only be friends.
In 1831, he received an anonymous letter, which turned out to be from the Marquise de Castries, 35 years old. the writer was fascinated by her title. She refused to become the writer's mistress, but was a charming flirt.
On February 28, 1832, he will receive a letter mysteriously signed “Outlander.” It turned out to be sent by Evelina Ganskaya, née Rzhevusskaya. She was young, beautiful, rich and married to an old man. Honore confessed his love to her in the third letter. Their first meeting was in October 1833. After that they separated for 7 years. After meeting Evelina's husband, Balzac began to think about marrying her.
But their marriage took place only in 1850, when the writer was already terminally ill. There were no invitees. Afterwards, the newlyweds arrived in Paris, and on August 19, Honore passed away. The death of the writer was accompanied by the obscenity of his wife. There is a version that in his last hours she was in the arms of Jean Gigou, the artist. But not all biographers believe this. Later Evelina became the wife of this artist.
The work of Honore de Balzac and the most famous works (list)
The first independent novel was "Chouans", published in 1829. He also became famous for his subsequent release, “The Physiology of Marriage.” Next were created:
· 1830 – “Gobsek”;
· 1833 – “Eugenia Grande”;
· 1834 – “Godis-sar”;
· 1835 – “Forgiven Melmoth”;
· 1836 – “Mass of the Atheist”;
· 1837 – “Museum of Antiquities”;
· 1839 – “Pierre Grassou” and many others.
This also includes “Naughty Stories”. “Shagreen Skin” brought real fame to the writer.
Throughout his life, Balzac wrote his main work, “a picture of morals,” called “The Human Comedy.” Its composition:
· “Etudes on Morals” (dedicated to social phenomena);
· “Philosophical Etudes” (play of feelings, their movement and life);
· “Analytical studies” (about morals).
Writer's innovation
Balzac moved away from the personality novel of the historical novel. His desire is to designate the “individualized type.” Central figure his works are bourgeois society, not the individual. He describes the life of classes, social phenomena, society. The line of works is in the victory of the bourgeoisie over the aristocracy and the weakening of morality.
Quotes by Honoré de Balzac
· “Shagreen Skin”: “He realized what a secret and unforgivable crime he had committed against them: he was escaping the power of mediocrity.”
· “Eugenia Grande”: “True love is gifted with foresight and knows that love causes love.”
· “Chouans”: “To forgive offenses, you need to remember them.”
· “Lily of the Valley”: “People are more likely to forgive a blow received in secret than an insult inflicted publicly.”
Balzac's life was not ordinary, and neither was his mind. The works of this writer have conquered the whole world. And his biography is as interesting as his novels.
Balzac Honore de (1799 – 1850)
French writer. Born into a family of peasants from Languedoc.
Waltz's original surname was changed by his father, starting his career as an official. The particle “de” was added to the name by the son, claiming noble origin.
Between 1819 and 1824 Balzac published half a dozen novels under a pseudonym.
The publishing and printing business involved him in large debts. For the first time, under his own name, he published the novel “The Last Shuat.”
Period from 1830 to 1848 devoted to an extensive series of novels and stories known to the reading public as the “Human Comedy.” Balzac devoted all his strength to creativity, but he also loved social life with her amusements and travels.
Overwork from colossal work, problems in his personal life and the first signs of a serious illness overshadowed the last years of the writer’s life. Five months before his death, he married Evelina Ganskaya, whose consent to the marriage Balzac had to wait for many years.
His most famous works- “Shagreen Skin”, “Gobsek”, “Unknown Masterpiece”, “Eugenia Grande”, “The Banker's House of Nucingen”, “Peasants”, “Cousin Pono”, etc.
