How old was Balzac when he died? Biography of Balzac

Balzac. Balzac. Biography Balzac. Balzac. Biography

Balzac Honore de (1799 - 1850)
Balzac. Balzac.
Biography
French novelist, considered the father of the naturalistic novel. Honore de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799 in Tours (France). Honore de Balzac's father, Bernard François Balssa (some sources indicate Vals's surname), is a peasant who became rich during the revolution by buying and selling confiscated noble lands, and later became an assistant to the mayor of Tours. Having entered the service in the military supply department and finding himself among officials, he changed his “native” surname, considering it plebeian. At the turn of the 1830s. Honore, in turn, also modified his surname, arbitrarily adding the noble particle “de” to it, justifying this with the fiction of his origins from the noble family of Balzac d’Entregues. Honore Balzac’s mother was 30 years younger than his father, which, in part, was the reason for her betrayal: by her father younger brother Honore - Henri - was the owner of the castle.
In 1807-1813 Honore studied at the college of Vendôme; in 1816-1819 - at the Paris School of Law, while serving as a clerk in a notary's office. Balzac's father sought to prepare him to become a lawyer, but Honoré decided to become a poet. At the family council, it was decided to give him two years to fulfill his dream. Honore de Balzac writes the drama "Cromwell", but the newly convened family council recognizes the work as worthless and Honore is refused financial assistance. This was followed by a period of material adversity. Literary career Balzac began around 1820, when he began publishing action-packed novels under various pseudonyms and composing morally descriptive “codes.” secular behavior. Later, some of the first novels were published under the pseudonym Horace de Saint-Aubin. The period of anonymous creativity ended in 1829 after the publication of the novel “Chouans, or Brittany in 1799.” Honore de Balzac called the novel "the starting point" of his work Shagreen leather"(1830). From 1830 under common name"Scenes privacy"short stories from modern times began to be published French life. In 1834 Balzac decides to tie common heroes already written since 1829 and future works, combining them into an epic later called " A human comedy"(La comedie humaine). With its main literary teachers Honoré de Balzac considered Molière. Moliere., Francois Rabelais and Scott Walter. Twice Balzac tried to make a political career, nominating his candidacy for the Chamber of Deputies in 1832 and 1848, but failed both times. In January 1849 he also failed in the elections to the French Academy.
In 1832, Balzac began corresponding with the Polish aristocrat E. Hanska, who lived in Russia. In 1843 the writer went to visit her in St. Petersburg, and in 1847 and 1848 to Ukraine. The official marriage with E. Ganskaya was concluded 5 months before the death of Honore de Balzac, who died on August 18, 1850 in Paris. In 1858, Honoré de Balzac’s sister, Madame Surville, wrote a biography of the writer - “Balzac, sa vie et ses oеuvres d"apres sa correspondance.” The authors of biographical books about Balzac were Zweig Stefan. Zweig (“Balzac”), Maurois Andre ( Maurois) ("Prometheus, or the Life of Balzac"), Wurmser ("Inhuman Comedy").
Among the works of Honore de Balzac are stories, novellas, philosophical studies, novellas, novels, plays (5 plays were published); about 90 works made up the epic “The Human Comedy” (La comedie humaine): “The Chouans, or Brittany in 1799” (Les derniers Chouans; 1829; novel), “The Shagreen Skin” (La peau de chagrin; 1830-1831; novel) , "Gobsek" (1830; original title- “The Dangers of Dissipation”, the title of the publication of 1835 is “Daddy Gobsek”, under the title “Gobsek” the book was first published in 1842; story; the plot is connected with the novel “Père Goriot”), “The Marriage Contract” (1830), “The Unknown Masterpiece” (1831, new edition- 1837; philosophical sketch), "Naughty Stories" (1832-1837), "Errand" (1832), "An Unknown Masterpiece" (1832), "Colonel Chabert" (1832; original title - "Peace Deal", second title - "Count Chabert ", the third - "The Countess Bigamous", the name "Colonel Chabert" first appeared in the publication of 1844; story), "The Abandoned Woman" (1832), "Father Goriot" (Le pere Goriot; 1832; first publication - in December 1834 - February 1835 in the magazine "Paris Review"; novel; about thirty characters The novel also appears in other novels or stories of Balzac's epic "The Human Comedy", "Eugenie Grande" (Eugenie Graudet; 1833; novel), "The Marriage Contract" (1835), "The Mass of the Atheist" (1836), "The Case of Guardianship" (1836), "Lost Illusions" (1837-1843; novel), "The Banking House of Nucingen" (1838; novel), "Eve's Daughter" (1838; novel), "Pierrette" (1839), "Albert Savaryus" (1842 ), "The Imaginary Mistress" (1842), "Honorine" (1843), "Provincial Muse" (1843-1844), "The Peasants" (1844; novel), "Cousin Pons" (1846-1847; novel), "Stepmother "(1848; play), "The Village Doctor", "The Village Priest", "The Search for the Absolute". The number of characters in the works of Honore de Balzac reached four thousand.
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Information sources:
Encyclopedic resource www.rubricon.com (Big Soviet encyclopedia, encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron)
Project "Russia Congratulates!" - www.prazdniki.ru

(Source: “Aphorisms from around the world. Encyclopedia of wisdom.” www.foxdesign.ru)

. Academician 2011.

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Balzac. Balzac Honore de (1799 1850) French writer, novelist Aphorisms, quotes from Balzac. Balzac. Biography At fifty, a man is more dangerous than at any other age, because he has expensive experience and often wealth. ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

- (Balzac, Honore de) ONORE DE BALZAC (1799 1850), French writer, who recreated the complete picture public life of its time. Born May 20, 1799 in Tours; his relatives, peasants by origin, came from southern France… … Collier's Encyclopedia

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- (Balzac) (1799 1850), French writer. The epic “Human Comedy” of 90 novels and stories is connected by a common concept and many characters: the novels “The Unknown Masterpiece” (1831), “Shagreen Skin” (1830 1831), “Eugenia Grande” (1833), “Father ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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 in poor family peasants 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 intelligence, 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 until his old age love affairs. This man was characterized by eccentricity. He became rich thanks to the French Revolution by selling and buying up the 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 action with the version of his noble origin from the Balzac d’Entregues family.

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 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 educational institution 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

Honore 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 a 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 words 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 great 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. All 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 illnesses 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 the 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.

Honore de Balzac (born May 20, 1799, Tours - died August 18, 1850, Paris) - French writer. His real name was Honore Balzac, the particle “de” meaning belonging to a noble family, he began to use it around 1830.

French writer who recreated a complete picture of the social life of his time. Born May 20, 1799 in Tours; his relatives, peasants by origin, came from southern France (Languedoc). His father changed his original surname Balssa when he arrived in Paris in 1767 and began a long bureaucratic career there, which he continued in Tours from 1798, holding a number of administrative positions. The particle “de” was added to the name by his son Honore in 1830, claiming noble origin. Balzac spent six years (1806-1813) as a boarder at the College of Vendôme, completing his education in Tours and Paris, where the family returned in 1814. After working for three years (1816-1819) as a clerk in a judge's office, he convinced his parents to allow him to try his luck in literature . Between 1819 × 1824 Honoré published (under a pseudonym) half a dozen novels, written under the influence of J. J. Rousseau, W. Scott and “horror novels.” In collaboration with various literary hacks, he published many novels of an overtly commercial nature.

Architecture is an exponent of morals.

Balzac Honore de

In 1822, his relationship with forty-five-year-old Madame de Bernis began (d. 1836). The initially passionate feeling emotionally enriched him; later their relationship turned platonic, and Lily in the Valley (Le Lys dans la vallée, 1835-1836) gave highest degree the perfect picture of this friendship.

An attempt to make a fortune in publishing and printing (1826-1828) involved Balzac in large debts. Turning again to writing, in 1829 he published the novel The Last Shuan (Le dernier Shouan; revised and published in 1834 under the title Les Chouans). This was the first book to be published under his own name, along with a humorous manual for husbands, The Physiology of Marriage (La Physiologie du mariage, 1829), it attracted public attention to the new author. Then the main work of his life began: in 1830 the first Scenes of Private Life (Scènes de la vie privée) appeared, with the undoubted masterpiece The House of a Cat Playing Ball (La Maison du chat qui pelote), in 1831 the first Philosophical Tales and Stories ( Contes philosophiques). For several more years, Balzac worked part-time as a freelance journalist, but from 1830 to 1848 his main efforts were devoted to an extensive series of novels and stories, known world as The Human Comedy (La Comédie humaine).

Balzac concluded the agreement to publish the first series of Etudes on Morals (Études de moeurs, 1833-1837) when many volumes (12 in total) were not yet completed or had just begun, since he was in the habit of selling first finished product for publication in periodicals, then release it as a separate book and, finally, include it in one or another collection. The sketches consisted of Scenes - private, provincial, Parisian, political, military and village life. Scenes of private life, devoted mainly to youth and its inherent problems, were not tied to specific circumstances and place; but the scenes of provincial, Parisian and village life were played out in a precisely defined environment, which is one of the most characteristic and original features of the Human Comedy.

In addition to the desire to display social history France, Balzac intended to diagnose society and offer drugs to treat its diseases. This goal is clearly felt throughout the cycle, but central place occupies in the Philosophical Studies (Études philosophiques), the first collection of which was published between 1835 × 1837. The Studies on Morals were supposed to present “effects”, and the Philosophical Studies were to identify “causes”. Balzac's philosophy is a curious combination of scientific materialism, theosophy of E. Swedenborg and other mystics, physiognomy of I. K. Lavater, phrenology of F. J. Gall, magnetism of F. A. Mesmer and occultism. All this was combined, sometimes in a very unconvincing way, with official Catholicism and political conservatism, in support of which Balzac openly spoke out. Two aspects of this philosophy have special meaning for his work: first, a deep belief in “second sight,” a mysterious property that gives its owner the ability to recognize or guess facts or events that he did not witness (Balzac considered himself extremely gifted in this regard); secondly, based on the views of Mesmer, the concept of thought as a kind of “ethereal substance” or “fluid”. Thought consists of will and feeling, and a person projects it into the world around him, giving it more or less impulse. This is where the idea of destructive force thoughts: it contains vital energy, the accelerated waste of which brings death closer. This is clearly illustrated by the magical symbolism of Shagreen Skin (La Peau de chagrin, 1831).

The third main section of the cycle was supposed to be Analytical Etudes (Études analytiques), devoted to “principles,” but Balzac never made clear his intentions in this regard; in fact, he completed only two volumes from the series of these Etudes: the half-serious, half-joking Physiology of Marriage and the Minor Troubles of Married Life (Petites misères de la vie conjugale, 1845-1846).

Balzac defined the main contours of his ambitious plan in the fall of 1834 and then consistently filled in the cells of the intended scheme. Allowing himself to be distracted, he wrote, in imitation of Rabelais, a series of funny, albeit obscene, “medieval” stories called Mischievous Stories (Contes drolatiques, 1832-1837), which were not included in the Human Comedy. A title for the ever-expanding cycle was found in 1840 or 1841, and a new edition, first bearing this title, began to appear in 1842. It retained the same principle of division as in the Études 1833-1837, but Balzac added to it a "preface" ", in which he explained his goals. The so-called "definitive edition" of 1869-1876 included Mischievous Stories, Theater (Théâtre) and a number of letters.

Nobility of feelings is not always accompanied by nobility of manners.

Balzac Honore de

There is no consensus in criticism as to how accurately the writer managed to portray the French aristocracy, although he himself was proud of his knowledge of the world. Having little interest in artisans and factory workers, he achieved, by all accounts, the highest persuasiveness in his descriptions of various representatives of the middle class: office workers - Officials (Les Employés), judicial clerks and lawyers - The Case of Guardianship (L'Interdiction, 1836), Colonel Chabet (Le Colonel Chabert, 1832); financiers - Nucingen Banking House (La Maison Nucingen, 1838); journalists - Lost illusions (Illusions perdues, 1837-1843); small manufacturers and traders - History of the greatness and fall of Cesar Birotteau (Histoire de la grandeur et decadence de César Birotteau, 1837). Among the Scenes of Private Life dedicated to feelings and passions, the Abandoned Woman (La Femme abandonnée), The Thirty-Year-Old Woman (La Femme de trente ans, 1831-1834), and The Daughter of Eve (Une Fille d’Ève, 1838) stand out. In Scenes of Provincial Life, not only the atmosphere of small towns is recreated, but also the painful “storms in a glass of water” are depicted that disrupt the peaceful flow of everyday life - The Priest of Tours (Le Curé de Tours, 1832), Eugénie Grandet (1833), Pierrette (Pierrette, 1840). The novels Ursule Mirouët and La Rabouilleuse (1841-1842) depict violent family feuds over inheritance. But the human community appears even darker in Scenes of Parisian Life. Balzac loved Paris and did a lot to preserve the memory of the now forgotten streets and corners of the French capital. At the same time, he considered this city a hellish abyss and compared the “struggle for life” taking place here with wars on the prairies, as one of his favorite authors, F. Cooper, depicted them in his novels. Most Interest from Scenes political life presents a Dark Affair (Une Ténébreuse Affaire, 1841), where the figure of Napoleon appears for a moment. Scenes of military life (Scènes de la vie militaire) include only two works: the novel by Chouan and the story Passion in the Desert (Une Passion dans le désert, 1830) - Balzac intended to significantly supplement them. Scenes of village life (Scènes de la vie de campagne) are generally devoted to the description of the dark and predatory peasantry, although in such novels as the Country Doctor (Le Médecin de campagne, 1833) and the Country Priest (Le Curé de village, 1839), a significant place devoted to the presentation of political, economic and religious views.

One of the greatest prose writers of the 19th century is O. de Balzac. The biography of this writer is in no way inferior to the stormy adventures of the heroes he created. The world is still interested in his personal life.

Bitter childhood

The founder of realism was born on May 20, 1799, in the city of Tours, which is located in the center of France. The prose writer came from a simple but enterprising family. His father, a local lawyer, Bernard Francois Balssa bought and resold the lands of ruined nobles. This business brought him profit. This was the reason that he changed his last name and boasted of his relationship with popular writer Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, to whom he had nothing to do.

Subsequently he acquired the noble prefix “de”. Bernard married a girl, Anne-Charlotte-Laure Salambier, who was 30 years younger than him. Honore's mother comes from an aristocratic family. The woman was freedom-loving and did not hide her romances. From connections on the side, the writer’s brother appeared, who was Anna’s favorite. And the future writer was given to a nurse. Afterwards he lived in a boarding house.

In a house where everyone except the family was put first, it was not easy for the boy. Honore de Balzac received little attention as a child. His biography is briefly described in some of his works. The problems he experienced when he was little were later present in his works.

Failed lawyer

Apparently, the genius inherited the main traits of his parents, since later they were clearly expressed in his character. At the request of his father and mother, his son was sent to Vendôme College, where he studied law. The institution was distinguished by harsh discipline, which the boy constantly disrupted. For this he earned the reputation of a slacker and a robber. There the child discovered the world of books. At the age of 12, he first tried himself as a writer. Then all his classmates mocked his works.

Due to constant stress and lack of attention, the child fell ill. His parents took him home. The guy was sick for several years. Many doctors did not guarantee that the child would live. Nevertheless, he pulled out.

The young man continued to study the legal profession in Paris, where his parents moved. He studied at the law school from 1816 to 1819. At the same time he works as a notary. But he was truly attracted only by the world of literature. Balzac was drawn to him. The biography could have turned out differently, but the parents decided to support their son’s passion and give him a chance.

First love

The father promised to support Honore for two years. During this time, the young man had to prove that he could work in the chosen direction. During this time, the future talent worked actively, but none of his works were taken seriously. The first Cromwell tragedy was mercilessly condemned. In total, until 1823 he wrote about 20 volumes. Later the writer himself called his early works a total mistake.

From time to time the young man left Paris for the province where his parents had moved. There he met Laura de Berni. His biography is closely intertwined with this woman. Balzac Honore, who received a minimum of maternal affection, found warmth and tenderness in the arms of Madame (20 years older than him). Unhappy in family life, with six children in her arms, she became his love and support.

When the time came to report to his family for the two years they had financed his hobby, Balzac had nothing to provide. All attempts to break into the world of words failed. Therefore, the family refused him money.

Entrepreneur's streak

Since childhood, the master of words dreamed of becoming filthy rich. While literature was not going well, the prose writer was trying to make money. At first it issues one-volume editions of classics. Also organized by the publishing house. Then he goes to Sardinia to find the silver of the ancient Romans in the mines. Another plan that did not pay off was growing pineapples near Paris. Balzac's biography is full of complex and fantastic business schemes. All his plans can be briefly described in one word - fiasco.

Because of the failures, the already large debts grew even more. He was saved from prison for promissory notes by his mother, who partially repaid the loans.

For a long period of his life, the genius was haunted by poverty. So, one night a thief broke into his simple apartment. He groped for something he could steal. The owner, who was in the room at the time, was not taken aback and said: “In vain you are looking in the dark for something that I cannot see even in the light.”

Way to success

Submission was not one of the virtues that Honore de Balzac had. The writer's biography would not have evoked so many emotions if not for his unshakable faith in his destiny. The master continued to work, no matter what.

In 1829, the prose writer took up his pen again. He made a strict schedule for himself. I went to bed at 6 pm and woke up at midnight. I wrote all the time. Dozens of pages came out from under his hand. He maintained his strength with numerous cups of strong coffee.

The efforts were crowned with success. Brought him fame historical novel"Chouans". The world did not yet know who Balzac was. The author's biography notes that until now he has used various pseudonyms.

The action in this book takes place during the French Revolution. Here, the talented author skillfully described the struggle of the Republican troops with the Chouans.

The foundation of the main work

On the wings of success, the master decides in 1831 to create a series of stories. This was supposed to be a description of the morality of that time. The title is "Human Comedy". Work began with scenes of life in Paris in the 18th-19th centuries.

The name Honore de Balzac opened many doors. The man’s biography acquired new colors after his lightning popularity. In the most fashionable salons he was received as a respected guest. There the author met many of the heroes of his future works, who were included in The Human Comedy. The goal of the work was to combine all of his written works into one cycle. He took all previously published novels and partially changed them. Heroes different books established family, friendship and other connections among themselves. The epic was supposed to consist of 143 novels. But the Frenchman failed to complete his plan.

Comedy theory

“The unsurpassed novelist” - this is the name Balzac received from critics. The writer's biography is forever connected with The Human Comedy. It consists of three parts. The first and broadest one, which included previous works, is “Etudes on Morals.” Here the audience meets the miser Gobsek, the selfless father Goriot, and the French officer Chabert. The second section is “Philosophical”. It helps the reader reason about the meaning of life. This includes the novel “Shagreen Skin”. The third part is “Analytical studies”. The books in this piece tend to be overly thought-provoking and sometimes put the plot in the background.

Balzac's biography is full of funny situations. Creativity brought profit, but did not cover all expenses and past debts. There is a story about an author going to his editor weekly to ask for an advance on future royalties. The boss was stingy, so he rarely gave out money. One day the writer, as always, came for payment, but the secretary said that the owner did not accept it today. To which Balzac replied that it didn’t matter to him, the main thing was that the leader gave the money.

Women of Balzac's age

Unattractive in appearance, Honore nevertheless conquered many ladies. They were amazed by the fervor and passion with which the prose writer spoke. Therefore everything free time From writing, the man spent time with numerous mistresses. Many noble ladies sought his attention, but often in vain. Balzac loved women of “elegant” age. The writer's biography is full of romantic adventures. Their heroines were ladies who were well over 30. He described such persons in his works.

The most popular character in the novel “The Thirty-Year-Old Woman” became the most popular. The main figure is the girl Julie. Through this image, the author clearly conveys the psychology of the fair sex. It was because of this work that the expression “woman of Balzac’s age” was born, that is, a lady between 30 and 40 years old.

A dream come true

Love plays a big role in a person's life. The Polish Countess Ewelina Hanska became the greatest passion that Honore de Balzac ever felt. The biography briefly describes their acquaintance. The woman, like hundreds of other fans, sent the writer a confession. The man answered. Correspondence began. For a long time they met secretly.

Evelina refused to leave her husband and marry a prose writer. The relationship lasted for 17 years. She became free when she was widowed. Then the couple got married. This happened in May 1850, in the Ukrainian city of Berdichev. But Balzac did not have time to enjoy married life. He for a long time was seriously ill and died the same year on August 18, in Paris.

The master carved out each of his heroes. He was not afraid to make their lives not only bright, but also realistic. That is why Balzac's characters are still interesting to the reader.

French novelist, considered the father of the naturalistic novel, Honore de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799 in Tours (France). Honore de Balzac's father, Bernard François Balssa (some sources indicate Vals's surname), is a peasant who became rich during the revolution by buying and selling confiscated noble lands, and later became an assistant to the mayor of Tours. Having entered the service in the military supply department and finding himself among officials, he changed his “native” surname, considering it plebeian. At the turn of the 1830s. Honore, in turn, also modified his surname, arbitrarily adding the noble particle “de” to it, justifying this with the fiction of his origins from the noble family of Balzac d’Entregues. Honore Balzac’s mother was 30 years younger than his father

which, in part, was the reason for her betrayal: the father of Honore's younger brother, Henri, was the owner of the castle.

The courtyard of the Collège Vendôme, where eight-year-old Honore was sent by his mother. Upbringing here was harsh. He will spend six years in this “dungeon of knowledge”, meeting his parents only twice during this time. Photo library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House Museum/Spadem, 1995.

In 1807-1813, Honore studied at the college of Vendôme; in 1816-1819 - at the Paris School of Law, while serving as a clerk in a notary's office. The father sought to prepare his son for lawyering, but Honoré decided to become a poet. At the family council, it was decided to give him two years to fulfill his dream. Honore de Balzac writes the drama "Cromwell", but the newly convened family council recognizes the work as worthless and the young man is denied financial assistance. This was followed by a period of material adversity. Balzac's literary career began around 1820, when he began publishing action-packed novels under various pseudonyms and composing morally descriptive "codes" of social behavior.

Later, some of the first novels were published under the pseudonym Horace de Saint-Aubin. The period of anonymous creativity ended in 1829 after the publication of the novel “Chouans, or Brittany in 1799.” Honore de Balzac called the novel “Shagreen Skin” (1830) the “starting point” of his work. Since 1830, short stories from modern French life began to be published under the general title “Scenes of Private Life.”

In 1834, the writer decided to connect the works already written since 1829 and future works with common characters, combining them into an epic, later called “The Human Comedy” (La comedie humaine).

Honoré de Balzac considered Moliere, Francois Rabelais and Walter Scott to be his main literary teachers.

From left to right: Victor Hugo, Eugene Sue, Alexandre Dumas and Honore de Balzac. "Condors of Thought and Style." Cartoon by Jerome Paturot. Photo library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House Museum/Spadem, 1995.

Twice the novelist tried to make a political career, nominating his candidacy for the Chamber of Deputies in 1832 and 1848, but failed both times. In January 1849, he also failed in the elections to the French Academy.

The writer was popular among women who were grateful to Honore for her emotional descriptions. His first love, Laura de Berni, who was married woman, and the difference in their ages was twenty-two years.
Louise-Antoinette-Laure de Bernis, his first love, whom he called Dilecta. He felt both filial respect and the mad passion of a lover for her. Portrait by Van Gorp. Jean-Loup Charmet.

Honore de Balzac constantly received letters from his readers, and one of these letters changed his life. In 1832, he received a letter from the “Foreigner,” a Polish countess and Russian subject, Evelina Ganskaya, who eighteen years later became his wife.

Balzac bought a mansion on Rue Fortuné in anticipation of the arrival of Ganskaya, who finally agreed to become his wife. Photo library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House Museum/Spadem, 1995.

Balzac's coffee pot. Photo library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House Museum/Spadem, 1995.

But fate was not at all kind to the great writer, conqueror women's souls, Honore de Balzac, literally five months after his marriage, on August 18, 1850, while his wife was sleeping in the next room in their Parisian apartment, he died.

Balzac - catchphrases

This is how men are designed: they can resist the smartest arguments and cannot resist one single glance.

To say that it is impossible to always love the same woman is as meaningless as to say that a famous musician needs different violins to play different melodies.

He who can be her lover will not be a woman's friend.

All human skill is nothing but a mixture of patience and time.

To doubt is to lose power.

A woman who laughs at her husband cannot love him anymore.

Everything comes in due time for those who know how to wait.

They don’t hang their beliefs on the wall.

Circumstances change, principles never.

Slander is indifferent to nonentity.

The key to all science is the question mark.

To doubt God is to believe in him.

Our conscience is an infallible judge until we kill it.

A noble heart cannot be unfaithful.

Indifference to the fair sex in old age is a punishment for being too good at pleasing in youth.

Seeking variety in love is a sign of powerlessness.

We recognize as a person only one whose soul dreams in love as much about spiritual pleasure as about bodily pleasure.

Jealousy in a man consists of selfishness driven to hell, pride taken by surprise, and irritated false vanity.

A marriage cannot be happy if the spouses, before entering into a union, do not know each other’s morals, habits and characters perfectly.

Never provide services that are not asked for.

People are afraid of cholera, but wine is much more dangerous than it.

Envy is one of the most effective elements of hatred.

Cruelty and fear shake hands with each other.

Drinking the cup of pleasure to the bottom, we find more gravel than pearls.