Books by Honore de Balzac

"Kurtisanerne" er en af denne formidable forfatters bedste romaner - her går ånd og politik og kærlighed op i en højere enhed på en særdeles underholdende måde.

I 1799 slår en gruppe brændende royalister sig sammen med nogle forsmåede katolikker for at gå til kamp imod de ugudelige magthavere i Paris, efter den franske revolution i 1789 har sat landet på den anden ende og udmagret befolkningen. Balzacs historiske roman kombinerer de spændende historiske begivenheder med en kærlighedshistorie imellem aristokraten Marie de Verneuil og chouanerroyalisten Alphonse de Montauran, der er lige så medrivende som det historiske kapitel, den udspiller sig i.Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) var en fransk forfatter, der hovedsageligt skrev noveller og romaner. Honoré de Balzac er berømt for sine realistiske skildringer af den klassekamp, der foregik i det franske samfund i de første fire årtier af det 19. århundrede.

Far Goriot er stærk og klar som en klassisk tragedie. De dramatiske virkemidler bruges knapt og koncentreret, stedernes enhed overholdes, tiden er fortættet. Og forløbet er opbygget således, at det fra den indledende præsentation fører gennem en krise og til en skæbnebestemt afslutning. Intet menneskeligt ansvar fornægtes, men romanens tre hovedpersoner bliver det, de er: Rastignac en mondæn stræber, Vautrin „et djævelsk digt", Goriot en martyr, og de lever alle deres skæbner helt ud.

Ved et selskab hos familien Grandlieu opdager advokaten Derville, at datteren Camille er forelsket i en vis Ernest de Restaud. Camilles mor fortæller i utvetydige vendinger datteren, at der ikke kan blive noget parti af de to, eftersom familien Restaud nok er adelig, men også ludfattig, og fordi Ernests mor af flere grunde ikke er nogen passende svigermor at få ind i familien.Det giver Derville anledning til at fortælle historien om sin velgører, den filosofiske ågerkarl Jean-Esther van Gobseck, som har en ikke ringe andel i familien Restauds nuværende tilstand.Gobseck er den begærlige ågerkarl par excellence i fransk litteratur, et begreb meget lig Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge i engelsk, og ligesom Scrooge har han under den kolde og hårde overflade en menneskelig kerne, der dog først viser sig efter hans død.

Balzac er en gudbenådet forfatter - her har nutidens forfattere sgu noget at leve op til. Denne roman er centreret omkring bogtrykkeri, forlagsvirksomhed og boghandel - men stikker sine fangarme ud til alt muligt andet: kærlighed, politik og menneskelig gøren og laden i al almindelighed. Balzac viste om nogen noget om forlagsbranchen, som han mente skummede fløden alt for meget på forfatternes bekostning. Derfor besluttede han at starte sit eget trykkeri - det endte desværre i fiasko.

Balzac skildrer det franske samfund og den klassekamp, der foregik i det i de første fire årtier af 19. århundrede. "De tretten" er betegnelsen for et hemmeligt broderskab af fatalister, der opstod med det formål, at sætte sig ud over samfundet på alle punkter. Så at sige afkoble sig fra alt hvad det bestod af. Hvad disse tretten bedrev skildrer Balzac i en række historier; - som den mand dog kan skrive.

Eugénie Grandet (1833) is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Written as Balzac began to formulate the grand scale of his La Comédie humaine sequence, Eugénie Grandet was eventually tied into the universe of his epic realist masterpiece, a holistic vision of nineteenth-century French society which sought to observe the consequences of the political, religious, and economic shifts of the Revolution and in its aftermath. This novel looks to the moral failings of a particular nouveau riche family, whose accumulation of wealth has quickly erased any sense of their working-class origins.After the Revolution, master cooper Felix Grandet married the daughter of a successful merchant, ascended in the political and social life of the town of Saumur, and quietly amassed an immense wealth through industry and inheritances from his wife's family. Now an old man, Felix possesses a fortune he feels no inclination to use, not even to improve the daily lives of his ailing wife and young adult daughter Eugénie, who faces frequent incursions from local suitors intent on marrying her to attain her father's wealth. When Felix's nephew Charles arrives from Paris with a letter from the patriarch's estranged brother Guillaume, tragic circumstances force him to choose between habitual greed and the immense pressure of performing what for anyone else would be a basic act of generosity. Eugénie Grandet is a powerful story of fortune, power, and the ease with which these lead to moral failure.Published at the dawning of Balzac's most productive and critically-acclaimed period, this novel is not only a good introduction to his lengthy La Comédie humaine sequence, but an irreplaceable work of nineteenth-century realist literature.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Eugénie Grandet is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Father Goriot (1835) is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. An early work in his La Comédie humaine sequence, Father Goriot has since become one of Balzac's most critically and commercially successful novels. It contains several characters who appear throughout his other books and is considered to be the first novel in which he perfected his hallmark realist style.The novel, set in Paris, follows Eugène de Rastignac, a young law student who lives at a boarding house owned by a widow named Madame Vauquer. Her other residents include Jean-Joachim Goriot, a retired businessman whose fortune has been spent on his two adult daughters, and Vautrin, a hardened and mysterious criminal. As Rastignac navigates urban life, he develops a fascination with high society that soon turns into an unhealthy obsession with joining the ranks of the wealthy. Although he falls in love with Goriot's daughter Delphine, a married woman, Rastignac is pressured by Vautrin to court the young unmarried Victorine. Proposing they attempt to steal her family's fortune-for which he offers to have her brother murdered-Vautrin does his best to corrupt the young and ambitious Rastignac, who will gradually be forced to choose between a life of luxury and a life of moral decency. In the background of their plotting, the story of Father Goriot unfolds, a tragic portrait of a man who gives everything to his family while wanting nothing more than their love and respect in return.Father Goriot is a complex yet effective novel. Criticized for extensive pessimism upon publication, its reputation for brutal honesty and social realism have aided its reception in recent years, and it is now considered one of Balzac's most important works.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Father Goriot is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Cousin Pons (1847) is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. One of the final works in Balzac's La Comédie humaine sequence, Cousin Pons originally began as a novella before being extended to the length of a novel. It serves as both a beautiful meditation on the nature of Platonic male friendship and a vitriolic condemnation of the vanity and greed of the French bourgeoisie. In typical fashion, however, Balzac also turns a critical eye to the lower class, ensuring his uniquely holistic vision of French society spares no one-and leaves no stone unturned.When he isn't performing with a Parisian boulevard orchestra, Sylvain Pons can be found in deep conversation with his good friend Wilhelm Schmucke, admiring his collection of paintings, or enjoying a gourmet meal with his cousins, M. and Mme. Camusot de Marville, whose food he greatly prefers to that of his landlady's, Mme. Cibot. Pons' life and company are of little interest to anyone other than his friend Wilhelm-by family and acquaintances, he is treated at best with tolerance, and at worst with disdain. After failing to find a suitable match for their daughter Cécile-which Pons attempts as a form of repayment for his shared meals with the Camusots-his cousins dispel him from their home and lives for good. But when they discover the value of his art collection-as do Mme. Cibot and several shady characters of the lower classes-a mad scramble ensues that threatens Sylvain Pons' gentle nature as well as his life.Cousin Pons, a subtle and underrated novel by Honoré de Balzac, takes an unforgiving look at the consequences of greed as well exposes the imbalance between the economic and aesthetic values of art.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Cousin Pons is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Physiology of Marriage (1829) is a book length essay by French writer Honoré de Balzac. Written from the point of view of an author who has overheard scandalous conversations between two women, The Physiology of Marriage is both a critique of the institution of marriage and a satirical attempt to scientifically explain the cause and frequency of marital infidelity. The essay was an early success for Balzac, gaining him a reputation as a talented writer and creative critic of contemporary French society.The essay consists of a series of meditations that approach marriage through a variety of scientific, philosophical, and anecdotal methods. Arguing that marriage is an institution that runs counter to human nature, the author uses questionable mathematics to calculate the number of married women in France who are likely to seek out affairs in order to feel a passion denied to them. Describing the likely signs of marital infidelity¿standoffishness, a change in dress, lack of romance¿he claims that French men have grown far too accepting of their wives¿ affairs. Rather than reject the institution altogether¿he sees it as integral to upholding the social order¿the author suggests that young women be allowed a certain amount of freedom to explore their romantic inclinations and to prepare themselves for the banality of married life. The Physiology of Marriage finds satire in treating seriously and scientifically the often hidden and always complex matters of the heart, as well as through its suggestion that women, not men, are to blame for the proliferation of infidelity in France.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac¿s The Physiology of Marriage is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Cousin Bette (1846) is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Part of Balzac's La Comédie humaine sequence, the novel is recognized as being the author's last fully-realized work, and features several characters who appear elsewhere throughout his legendary series. It has inspired several film and television adaptations, as well as earned comparisons to Shakespeare's Othello and Tolstoy's War and Peace.The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Bette Fischer, a 42-year-old woman whose bitterness at remaining unmarried-despite several proposals by men she deemed unworthy-drives her to ruin the reputations and lives of her extended family. After rescuing the young sculptor Wenceslas Steinbock from suicide, Bette develops a complex affection for the man. When he falls in love with Hortense, the daughter of Bette's cousin Adeline, she hatches a plan to gain revenge for this perceived personal slight. She recruits the young and beautiful Valérie Marneffe-an unhappily married woman-to seduce Adeline's husband, Baron Hector Hulot, whose uncontrolled desires and extensive vanity both test his family's loyalty and stretch their finances to the furthest possible limit. Cousin Bette is an intense psychological drama and character study that burns with the fire of Balzac's critique of French society. While exposing the depths of human immorality-particularly where money is made the center of personal relationships-Balzac manages to remind us that what makes us human is not what drives us apart, but the lengths to which we will go to cultivate love despite our basest impulses.To read Cousin Bette is to observe the hopes, flaws, and desires of the people of nineteenth century France, but to ultimately judge ourselves. This final masterpiece of Honoré de Balzac is a testament to the skill and dedication of one of history's finest literary minds.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Cousin Bette is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Written as part of his La Comédie humaine sequence, Lost Illusions looks at scenes of Parisian and provincial life involving friendship, desire, and literary ambition. Inspired by his own experiences as a journalist and publisher, Balzac sought to tell a story adjacent to his own, a story concerning a young man for whom talent is abundant but recognition is woefully scarce. The novel's protagonist, Lucien Chardon, features in Balzac's work A Harlot High and Low, as does the villain Vautrin, who appears toward the end of Lost Illusions and throughout Father Goriot, one of author's most popular and enduring works.The son of a middle-class father and aristocratic mother, Lucien Chardon is a promising young poet. He lives in Angoulême with his now-impoverished mother-who is also a widow-and his sister Ève. In the province, he spends his days with his loyal friend David Séchard, who encourages his literary lifestyle while studying to be a scientist. David's eventual marriage to Ève only brings the two friends closer together, but when Lucien meets the wealthy and influential Mme. de Bargeton, with whom he flees to Paris, their friendship is lost to Lucien's unstoppable ambition. In the city, abandoned by Mme. de Bargeton and living under his mother's maiden name, Lucien de Rubempré sacrifices morality, friendship, and family at the altar of poetry, slowly becoming another person altogether. Lost Illusions is one of Balzac's most sustained character studies, a novel which critiques humanity and high society as much as it does his own commercial interests as a professional writer.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Lost Illusions is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

During Napoleon¿s expedition in Egypt, a young soldier falls captive to Ottoman forces. Miraculously, he manages to escape, taking with him a horse and a limited assortment of supplies and weapons. On his journey through the desert, he takes refuge in a cave, where he tames and befriends a panther. A Passion in the Desert is a masterful short story by French author Honoré de Balzac.

Sarrasine (1831) is a novella by French author Honoré de Balzac. Written as part of his La Comédie humaine sequence, Sarrasine is one of Balzac¿s earliest works published without a pseudonym and helped to establish his reputation as a serious writer and distinguished member of Parisian high society. Noted for its controversial exploration of homosexuality and castration, Balzac¿s novella would become the subject of Roland Barthe¿s groundbreaking work of literary criticism, S/Z (1970).Composed as a frame narrative, Sarrasine begins during a ball at the mansion of the wealthy Monsieur de Lanty. The unnamed narrator, from a window overlooking the garden, listens to the conversations of partygoers and watches as his guest, Beatrix Rochefide, is approached by a mysterious older man. The next night, the narrator tells Beatrix a story involving the man, a respected member of de Lanty¿s circle. He begins with the life of Ernest-Jean Sarrasine, a successful young sculptor who, on a trip to Rome, fell in love with an opera star named Zambinella. Convinced she represents the ideal feminine form, he rejects Zambinelläs misgivings and vague excuses, becoming increasingly obsessed with the beautiful singer. Devising a plan to kidnap Zambinella during a party at the French embassy, Sarrasine discovers the truth: the singer is a castrato, a classical operatic performer who was selected and castrated before puberty. Sarrasine, a powerful novella, explores themes of idealization and obsession while illuminating the conflation of sex and gender.With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Honoré de Balzac¿s Sarrasine is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

When young Gaston moves to Bayeux, a small province in Normandy, he feels stranded. Though he would rather spend his time in the capital city, Gaston must stay in Bayeux until he recovers from his illness. He feels unsatisfied and bored, until he hears the rumor about a woman living as a recluse on the countryside. Victomtesse de Beauseant is a beautiful woman who had been abandoned by her husband many years ago. Devastated, and now stuck in a loveless marriage because she cannot get a divorce, she lives in isolation. Gaston is moved by her story and becomes fixated, desperate to meet her. When he finally gets the courage to visit her home, Victomtesse de Beauseant is flattered by his infatuation, and despite her being ten years his senior, Beauseant and Gaston become lovers. However, their private paradise is soon interrupted by Gaston¿s disapproving mother, who is pressuring him to marry a woman he does not love. As rumors grow and Gaston¿s mother becomes more persistent, Gaston and Victomtesse¿s love is tested and threatened like never before. The Deserted Woman exemplifies Honoré de Balzac¿s extraordinary literary ability that has influenced esteemed authors such as Henry James and Charles Dickens. With intricate prose and unparalleled compassion, Honoré de Balzac explores the too-common predicament of women trapped in unhappy relationships. The Deserted Woman tells the emotional tale of the pressure society put on women and men to enter marriages that prioritized social and financial compatibility over a real, mutual, love connection. Though it does not exist to such an extent in Western society, Balzac¿s The Deserted Woman invites readers to consider how this spirit of unhealthy marriages is still alive in modern relationships. Balzac dedicated much of his career to the pursuit of capturing all aspects of society with his realist lens, creating celebrated work that influences the perspective of society. This edition of The Deserted Woman by Honoré de Balzac features a striking new cover design and is reprinted in a modern, easy-to-read font, creating an approachable reading experience for a contemporary audience.

Vautrin: A Drama in Five Acts, a classical book, has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.