Balzac - Libros y biografía

Exquisitely deploying the story-within-a-story narrative, 'Honorine' is a tale casting piercing insight into the fabric of the human condition. Comtesse Honorine de Bauvan was married off to the Comte...

Colonel Victor d'Aiglemont is a tall, slender and very handsome man in his early thirties. When young Julie lays her eyes on Victor, she is fascinated by the charming man. Julie's father, however, is...

Lucien Chardon is a young man who wants nothing more than to become a notable poet. He lives in a small village, and it is not the place for an aspiring writer. When a married lady Madame de Bargeton...

There are dilemmas - and then there are dilemmas. Juanito Leganes faces the sort of choice that is beyond our worst nightmares.It comes after his father, Marquis of the Spanish town of Menda, leads an...

You know that feeling when you have just sent a text or an email to the wrong person? Well, in the 19th century the equivalent was a wrongly-directed letter - and there is no 'delete' button for pen and...

Due to Balzac's death in 1850, 'The Deputy of Arcis' was left incomplete at its most compelling moment. A political satire criticizing the electoral system, taking place in the provinces of southern France...

In 'Ferragus, Chief of the Devorants' Balzac skillfully traces a dazzling panorama of 19th century Parisian streets and vividly invokes a sparkling menagerie of characters in ultra-fine detail.A young...

Veronique Graslin is a woman of strength.Despite being scarred by smallpox at 11, and then railroaded into a miserable marriage with a man who resembles an "antique satyr", she builds a life of wealth...

An Italian and Spanish love triangle with Napoleon's army on the march as the backdrop, 'Juana' is an all-action story about two morally corrupt Italian soldiers in the French army in Spain.They lurk...

Why do good people suffer?This is the question Honoré de Balzac poses in 'The Hated Son', set in Normandy during the eighth war of religion between Catholics and Protestant Huguenots.The kind and gentle...

Honoré de Balzac's short story ´The illustrious Gaudissaart´ reveals the arrogance and prejudice on both sides of the city-country divide.When a slick salesman from the big city visits the provincial...

Superstition, sorcery, dark strangers, and a great poet in disguise, Honoré de Balzac takes a new turn in 'The Exiles'.Set in 14th century Paris, this novella sees sergeant Tirechair host two strangers...

Fans of 'The Godfather' trilogy and 'The Sopranos' will know a thing or two about vendettas.In Honore de Balzac's ´The Vendetta´, tragic consequences are laid bare. What begins as a love story between...

"Now that I am free, perfectly free, I intend to remain so."Today, this would be a clear message to look for another online date.In 19th-century Paris, Leon de Preval, a captain in the Sixth Horse, does...

"The Marriage Contract" is included in "Scenes from Private Life" and follows the marriage of a Parisian gentleman to beautiful Spanish girl, who comes into a lot of money. Presenting an intriguing portrait...

A short story ushering the reader into the violent and horrifying events that took place during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. The tale follows an old ex-Carmelite nun who is hiding...

'The Ball at Sceaux' is one of the oldest books in Balzac's 'The Human Comedy' series. It tells the story of Émilie de Fontaine, a pretentious and spoiled young lady who refuses to love anyone who is...

Dinner party in Paris. A guest called Hermann starts to tell a story; a story about two French doctors who traveled to Andernach in Germany in 1799. The men decided to stay in a guesthouse called Red...

When an aspiring artist Nicolas Poussin gets a chance to meet the legendary painter Frenhofer, he is more than thrilled. Frenhofer has the ability to paint in an incredible way, and besides that, he has...

Publiée pour la première fois en 1830, "Une Passion dans le désert" est sans doute le récit le plus surprenant de l'auteur de "La Comédie humaine". En racontant les amours d'une panthère et d'un soldat...

Henri is a shameless and spoiled heir. When he falls in love with the beautiful Paquita, he simply must seduce her. But Paquita already has a lover. Brimming with anger and revenge upon this realisation,...

In this tale the Duchesse de Langeais leads General Armande de Montriveau by the nose in her distinct coquettish yet grandiose manner. But as a member of the Thirteen, Armande kidnaps the Duchesse and...

Once bitten, twice shy sometimes rings true. Madame de Beauseant must have been bitten very hard, for she became a hermit in her Normandy castle due to humiliation after being cast aside by her aristocratic...

It is sometimes difficult to know who most deserves our judgement.Do we look down more upon a shop owner for inventing a royal backstory for one of his items - or is the customer who believes the story...

The old, abandoned manor of La Grande Bretèche stands between the trees like a secret. Uncovered one day by Dr. Horace Bianchon whilst visiting the nearby town of Vendôme, the ruins will beckon any wandering...

The novella unfolds around a blind old man, Facino Cane who claims to be a descendant of the 14th century condottiere of the same name. The narrator meets Facino Cane at a wedding, and begins a conversation...

Countess Marie de Vandenesse, bored out of her mind in a marriage to a good man, decides to adopt an up-and-coming young playwright, Raoul Nathan, as her lover. Mistakenly believing his fortune is made,...

If you have seen Ricky Gervais in 'The Office', you will know how much comedy and pathos occurs in apparently mundane locations. In 'The Lesser Bourgeoisie', Honore de Balzac turns his sharp eye on the...

Spoiling a child is not just about letting them have a few extra sweets. In some cases, years of doting really do spoil them.Victurien d'Esgrignon was raised by his doting aunt and adoring father - a...

It begins with the undignified scene of two young men on a Parisian stagecoach, boasting about their love affairs with older, married women.Hubris turns to tragedy when the coach overturns, leaving one...