Who was Honore de Balzac. Brief biography of Balzac

Balzac comes from a peasant family, his father was engaged in buying up noble lands that were confiscated from the owners, then reselling them.

Honoré would not have been a Balzac if his father had not changed his surname and bought the “de” particle, because the former seemed to him plebeian.

As for the mother, she was the daughter of a merchant from Paris. Balzac's father saw his son only in the field of advocacy.

That is why in 1807-1813 Onere was a student at the College of Vendome, and in 1816-1819 the Paris School of Law became the place of his further education, at the same time the young man worked as a scribe for a notary.

But the legal career did not appeal to Balzac, and he chose literary path. He received almost no attention from his parents. Not surprisingly, he ended up at Vandoms College against his will. There, visiting relatives was allowed once a year - during the Christmas holidays.

During the first years spent in college, Honore was often in the punishment cell, after the third grade he began to get used to college discipline, but he did not stop laughing at the teachers. At the age of 14, due to illness, he was taken home, for five years she did not recede, and the hopes for recovery dried up. And suddenly, in 1816, after moving to Paris, he finally recovered.

Since 1823, balzac published several works under pseudonyms. In these novels, he adhered to the ideas of "violent romanticism", this was justified by Honore's desire to follow the fashion in literature. He did not want to remember this experience later.

In 1825-1828, Balzac tried his hand at publishing, but without success. As a writer, Honore de Balzac was influenced by the historical novels of Walter Scott. In 1829, the first was published under the name "Balzac" - "Chuans".

This was followed by such works by Balzac: "Scenes privacy"- 1830. The story "Gobsek" - 1830, the novel "The Elixir of Longevity" - 1830-1831, philosophical novel « Shagreen leather"- 1831. Starts work on the novel "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman", the cycle "Naughty Stories" - 1832-1837. Partially autobiographical novel"Louis Lambert" - 1832 "Seraphite" - 1835, the novel "Father Goriot" - 1832, the novel "Eugen Grandet" - 1833

As a result of his unsuccessful commercial activities there were huge debts. Glory came to Balzac, but the material condition did not increase. Wealth remained only in dreams. Honore did not stop working hard - writing works a day took 15-16 hours. As a result, it was possible to publish up to six books a day. In his first works, Balzac raised various themes and ideas. But all of them concerned various spheres of life in France and its inhabitants.

The main characters were people from various social strata: the clergy, merchants, aristocracy; from various social institutions: state, army, family. Actions took place in the villages, the provinces and in Paris. In 1832, Balzac began a correspondence with an aristocrat from Poland - E. Hanska. She lived in Russia, where he arrived in 1843.

Subsequent meetings took place in 1847 and 1848. already in Ukraine. Officially, the marriage with E. Ganskaya was registered shortly before the death of Honore de Balzac, who died in Paris on August 18, 1850. There he was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. A biography of Honore de Balzac was written by his sister Madame Surville in 1858.

One of the greatest prose writers of the 19th century is O. de Balzac. The biography of this writer is in no way inferior wild adventure the heroes he created. Until now, the world is 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 up and resold the lands of the ruined nobles. This business brought him profit. This was the reason that he changed his surname and boasted of his relationship with popular writer Jean-Louis Gez de Balzac, to whom he had nothing to do.

Subsequently, he acquired the noble prefix "de". Bernard married a girl, Anne-Charlotte-Laura 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 novels. From connections on the side, the writer's brother appeared, who was Anna's favorite. And the future writer was given to the nurse. After that he lived in a boarding house.

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

Failed Lawyer

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

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

The young man continued to study the business of a lawyer in Paris, where his parents moved. He studied at the school of law in 1816-1819. At the same time he works as a notary. But it was only the world of literature that really attracted him. Balzac was drawn to him. The biography could have turned out differently, but the parents decided to support their son's hobby 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 was actively working, but none of his works were taken seriously. The first tragedy "Cromwell" was ruthlessly condemned. In general, until 1823 he wrote about 20 volumes. Later, the writer himself called his early works a complete 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 relatives for the two years that they financed his passion, Balzac had nothing to provide. All attempts to break into the world of words have failed. Therefore, the family refused him money.

Entrepreneur's Vein

Since childhood, the master of words dreamed of getting rich indecently. While literature did not work out, the prose writer tried to earn money. At first he issues single-volume editions of the classics. Also organizes a publishing house. Then he goes to Sardinia to find the silver of the ancient Romans in the mines. Another plan that did not justify itself was the cultivation of pineapples near Paris. The biography of Balzac is full of complex and fantastic business schemes. Briefly describe all his plans can be in one word - a fiasco.

From the failures, the already large debts have grown even more. He was saved from prison for bills by his mother, who partially repaid the loans.

For a long period of life, a genius was pursued by poverty. So, one night a thief got into his simple apartment. He groped for something he could steal. The owner, who was in the room at that time, was not at a loss and said: “You are looking in vain for something in the dark that I can’t even see in the light.”

Way to success

Submission was not among the virtues that Honore de Balzac had. The biography of the writer would not have evoked so many emotions if it were 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 tough schedule for himself. Went to bed at 6pm, 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.

Efforts were crowned with success. Fame brought him historical novel"Shuans". The world did not yet know who Balzac was. The author's biography notes that he has used various pseudonyms so far.

The events in this book take place during the Great french revolution. Here the talented author skillfully described the struggle of the Republican troops with the Chouans.

Foundation of the main work

On the wings of success, the master decides in 1831 to create a series of stories. It was supposed to be a description of the then morality. Name - " human comedy". Work began with scenes from the life of Paris in the 18th-19th centuries.

Many doors were opened by the name of Honore de Balzac. The biography of a man after lightning popularity has acquired new colors. In the most fashionable salons, he was received as a distinguished guest. There, the author met many of the heroes of his future works, which were included in the "Human Comedy". The purpose of the work was to combine all his written works into one cycle. He took all the previously published novels and partially changed them. The heroes of different books have acquired family, friendship and other ties with each other. The epic was supposed to consist of 143 novels. But the French did not succeed in bringing the idea to the end.

comedy theory

"Unsurpassed novelist" - that's what Balzac received from the critics. The biography of the writer is forever associated with the "Human Comedy". It consists of three parts. The first and widest, which included previous works - "Etudes on Morals". Here the audience meets the miser Gobsek, the disinterested father of Goriot, the French officer Chabert. The second section is "Philosophical". It helps the reader to reason about the meaning of life. This included the novel Shagreen Skin. The third part is "Analytical studies". The books in this segment stand out for their over-the-top thinking, and sometimes overshadowing the plot.

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

Balzac women

The unattractive-looking Honoré nevertheless conquered many ladies. They were struck by the fuse and passion with which the prose writer spoke. That's why everything free time from writing the man spent with numerous mistresses. Many noble ladies sought his attention, but often in vain. Balzac loved women of "elegant" age. The biography of the writer is full of romantic adventures. Their heroines were ladies who are well over 30. He described such persons in his works.

The most popular was the character of the novel "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman". 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 from 30 to 40 years old.

A dream come true

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

Evelina refused to leave her husband and marry a prose writer. The relationship continued for 17 years. She became free when she became a widow. 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 life not only bright, but also realistic. That is why the characters of Balzac 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 the city of Tours (France). Honore de Balzac's father - Bernard Francois Balssa (some sources indicate the name of Waltz) - a peasant who became rich during the years of the revolution by buying and selling confiscated noble lands, and later became an assistant to the mayor of the city of Tours. Entering the service in the military supply department and being among the officials, he changed his "native" surname, considering it plebeian. At the turn of the 1830s. Honore, in turn, also changed his surname, arbitrarily adding to it the noble particle "de", justifying this with a fiction about his origin from the noble family of Balzac d "Entreg. Honore Balzac's mother was 30 years younger than his father

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

Courtyard of the Vendôme College, where the mother identified the eight-year-old Honore. The upbringing here was harsh. He will spend six years in this "dungeon of knowledge", having only met his parents 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 the city of Vendome; 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 advocacy, but Honore decided to become a poet. At the family council, it was decided to give him two years to make his dream come true. Honore de Balzac writes the drama "Cromwell", but the newly convened family council recognizes the work as useless and the young man is denied financial assistance. This was followed by a period of material hardships. Balzac's literary career began around 1820, when, under various pseudonyms, he began to print action-packed novels and composed moralistic "codes" of secular behavior.

Later, some of the first novels appeared under the pseudonym of Horace de Saint-Aubin. The period of anonymous creativity ended in 1829 with 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, under the general title "Scenes of Private Life", short stories from modern french life.

In 1834 the writer decides to tie common heroes already written since 1829 and future works, combining them into an epic, later called "The Human Comedy" (La comedie humaine).

Its main literary teachers Honoré de Balzac considered Molière, François Rabelais and Walter Scott.

From left to right: Victor Hugo, Eugene Xu, Alexandre Dumas and Honore de Balzac. "Condors of Thought and Style". Caricature by Jérôme Paturo. Photo Library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House-Museum/Spadem, 1995.

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

The writer was popular among women, grateful to Honore for sincere 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 Berny, his first love, named Dilecta by him. He felt for her both filial respect and the insane passion of a lover. Portrait by Van Gorp. Jean-Loup Charmet.

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

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

Balzac coffee pot. Photo Library of the Museums of Paris/Balzac House-Museum/Spadem, 1995.

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

Balzac - popular expressions

This is how men are arranged: they can resist the most intelligent arguments and not resist one single look.

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

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

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

To doubt is to lose strength.

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 nonentities.

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 have killed it.

A noble heart cannot be unfaithful.

Indifference to the fair sex in old age is a punishment for being too able to please in youth.

Seeking diversity in love is a sign of powerlessness.

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

Jealousy in a man is made up of selfishness, brought to hell, from pride, taken by surprise, and irritated false vanity.

Marriage cannot be happy if the spouses do not know each other's manners, habits and characters to perfection before entering into the union.

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.

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

Honore de Balzak France, 05/20/1799 - 08/18/1850 French novelist, considered the father of the naturalistic novel. Honore de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799 in the city of Tours (France). Honore de Balzac's father, Bernard Francois Balssa (some sources indicate the name of Waltz), is a peasant who became rich during the years of the revolution by buying and selling confiscated noble lands, and later became an assistant to the mayor of the city of Tours. Entering the service in the military supply department and being among the officials, he changed his native surname, considering it plebeian. At the turn of the 1830s. Honore, in turn, also modified the surname, arbitrarily adding to it the noble particle de, justifying this with a fiction about his origin from the noble family of Balzac d "Entreg. Honore Balzac's mother was 30 years younger than his father, which, in part, was the reason her betrayal: the father of Honore's younger brother - Henri - was the owner of the castle.In 1807-1813, Honore studied at the College of Vendome; 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 for advocacy ", but Honore 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 useless and Honore is denied financial assistance. This was followed by a streak of material adversity. Literary Balzac's career began around 1820, when he began to print action novels under various pseudonyms and composed moral codes of secular behavior. Later, some of the first novels appeared under the pseudonym of Horace de Saint-Aubin. The period of anonymous creativity ended in 1829 with the publication of Chouans, or Brittany in 1799. Honore de Balzac called the novel Shagreen Leather (1830) the starting point of his work. Beginning in 1830, short stories from modern French life began to be published under the general title Scenes of Private Life. In 1834, Balzac decided to connect the common heroes already written since 1829 and future works, combining them into an epic, later called the Human Comedy (La comedie humaine). Twice Balzac tried to make a political career, putting forward 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 to correspond with the Polish aristocrat E. Hanska, who lived in Russia. In 1843 the writer visited her in St. Petersburg, and in 1847 and 1848 in 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, Honore de Balzac's sister, Ms. Surville, wrote a biography of the writer - “Balzac, sa vie et ses oeuvres d" apres sa correspondance ". The authors of biographical books about Balzac were Stefan Zweig (Balzac), Andre Maurois (Prometheus, or Life Balzac), Wurmser (Inhuman comedy).Among the works of Honore de Balzac are stories, short stories, philosophical studies, stories, novels, plays.

Honoré de Balzac - famous French novelist, born May 20, 1799 in Tours, died August 18, 1850 in Paris. For five years he was sent to an elementary school in Tours, and at the age of 7 he entered the Jesuit College of Vendôme, where he stayed for 7 years. In 1814, Balzac moved with his parents to Paris, where he completed his education - first in private boarding schools, and then in Sorbonne where he enthusiastically listened to lectures Gizo, Cousin, Willeman. At the same time, he was studying law to please his father, who wanted to make him a notary.

Honore de Balzac. Daguerreotype 1842

Balzac's first literary experience was the tragedy in verse "Cromwell", which cost him a lot of work, but turned out to be worthless. After this first failure, he abandoned tragedy and turned to romance. Motivated by material need, he began to write one after another very bad novels, which he sold for several hundred francs to various publishers. Such work because of a piece of bread was extremely burdensome for him. The desire to get out of poverty as soon as possible involved him in several commercial enterprises that ended in complete ruin for him. He had to liquidate the business, taking on more than 50,000 francs of debt (1828). Subsequently, thanks to new loans to pay interest and other financial losses, the amount of his debts increased with various fluctuations, and he languished under their burden all his life; only shortly before his death did he finally manage to get rid of his debts. In the early 1820s, Balzac met and became close friends with Madame de Berny. This woman was the good genius of his youth in the most difficult years of struggle, deprivation and uncertainty. By his own admission, she had a huge influence both on his character and on the development of his talent.

Balzac's first novel, which was a resounding success and put him forward among other novice writers, was The Physiology of Marriage (1829). Since then, his fame has been growing continuously. His fertility and tireless energy are truly amazing. In the same year, he published 4 more novels, the next - 11 ("Thirty-year-old Woman"; "Gobsek", "Shagreen Skin", etc.); in 1831 - 8, including the "Country Doctor". Now he works even more than before, with extraordinary care he finished his works, several times redoing what he had written.

Geniuses and villains. Honore de Balzac

Balzac was more than once tempted by the role of a politician. By their own political views he was strict legitimist. In 1832, he put forward his candidacy for deputies in Angouleme and on this occasion expressed the following program in one private letter: “The destruction of all nobility, with the exception of the chamber of peers; separation of the clergy from Rome; the natural frontiers of France; complete equality of the middle class; recognition of true superiority; cost savings; increasing revenues through better distribution of taxes; education for all".

Having failed in the elections, he took up literature with new zeal. 1832 11 new novels were published, among other things: "Louis Lambert", "Abandoned Woman", "Colonel Chabert". At the beginning of 1833, Balzac entered into a correspondence with Countess Hanska. From this correspondence arose a romance that lasted 17 years and ended in marriage a few months before the death of the novelist. A monument to this novel is the voluminous volume of Balzac's letters to Mrs. Ganskaya, later published under the title Letters to a Stranger. During these 17 years, Balzac continued to work tirelessly, and in addition to novels, he wrote various articles in magazines. In 1835 he began publishing the Paris Chronicle himself; this edition lasted for a little over a year and as a result brought him 50,000 francs of a net deficit.

From 1833 to 1838 inclusive, Balzac published 26 stories and novels, among them "Eugenia Grande", "Father Goriot", "Seraphite", "Lily of the Valley", "Lost Illusions", "Caesar Biroto". In 1838 he again left Paris for a few months, this time for a commercial purpose. He dreams of a brilliant enterprise that can immediately enrich him; he goes to Sardinia, where he is going to exploit the silver mines, known since the days of Roman rule. This venture ends in failure, as a more dexterous businessman took advantage of his idea and interrupted his path.

Until 1843, Balzac lived almost without a break in Paris, or in his estate Les Jardies, near Paris, which he bought in 1839 and turned into a new source of constant expenses for him. In August 1843, Balzac went to St. Petersburg for 2 months, where Mrs. Ganskaya was at that time (her husband owned vast estates in Ukraine). In 1845 and 1846 he twice traveled to Italy, where she spent the winter with her daughter. Urgent work and various urgent obligations forced him to return to Paris, and all his efforts were directed towards finally paying off his debts and arranging his affairs, without which he could not carry out cherished dream all his life - to marry the woman he loves. To a certain extent, he succeeded. Balzac spent the winter of 1847 - 1848 in Russia, at the estate of Countess Hanskaya near Berdichev, but a few days before the February Revolution, money matters called him to Paris. However, he remained completely alien to the political movement and in the autumn of 1848 he again went to Russia.

In 1849 - 1847, 28 new novels by Balzac appeared in print (Ursula Mirue, The Country Priest, Poor Relatives, Cousin Pons, etc.). Since 1848, he has been working little and publishing almost nothing new. The second trip to Russia turned out to be fatal for him. His body was exhausted by “excessive work; this was joined by a cold that fell on the heart and lungs and turned into a long drawn-out illness. The harsh climate also had a detrimental effect on him and interfered with his recovery. This state, with temporary improvements, dragged on until the spring of 1850. On March 14, the marriage of Countess Ganskaya with Balzac finally took place in Berdichev. In April, the couple left Russia and went to Paris, where they settled in a small hotel bought by Balzac a few years before and decorated with artistic luxury. The health of the novelist, however, was deteriorating, and finally, on August 18, 1850, after a severe 34-hour agony, he died.

The significance of Balzac in literature is very great: he expanded the scope of the novel and, being one of the main founders realistic and naturalistic trends, showed him new paths, along which in many ways he went until the beginning of the 20th century. His basic view is purely naturalistic: he looks at every phenomenon as the result and interaction of certain conditions, a known environment. According to this, Balzac's novels are not only an image of individual characters, but also a picture of the whole. modern society with the main forces that govern it: the general pursuit of the blessings of life, the thirst for profit, honors, position in the world, with all the various struggles of large and small passions. At the same time, he reveals to the reader the entire behind-the-scenes side of this movement in the smallest detail, in its everyday life, which gives his books the character of burning reality. When describing characters, he highlights one main, predominant feature. According to Fai, for Balzac every person is nothing more than "some kind of passion, which is served by the mind and organs and which is counteracted by circumstances." Thanks to this, his heroes receive extraordinary relief and brightness, and many of them have become household names, like the heroes of Molière: thus, Grande became synonymous with stinginess, Goriot - fatherly love, etc. Women occupy a large place in his novels. With all his merciless realism, he always puts a woman on a pedestal, she always stands above the environment, and is a victim of the egoism of a man. His favorite type is a woman of 30-40 years old (“Balzac age”).

The complete works of Balzac were published by himself in 1842 under the general title " human comedy”, with a preface where he defines his task as follows: “to give a history and at the same time a criticism of society, an investigation of its ailments and an examination of its beginnings.” One of the first translators of Balzac into Russian was the great Dostoevsky (his translation of "Eugenie Grande", made even before hard labor).

(Essays on others French writers see the block "More on the topic", below the text of the article.)