Honoré de Balzac

Passionate and perceptive, the three short novels that make up Balzac's History of the Thirteen are concerned in part with the activities of a rich, powerful, sinister and unscrupulous secret society in nineteenth-century France. While the deeds of 'The Thirteen' remain frequently in the background, however, the …

Gli Sciuani è un romanzo di Honoré de Balzac del 1829, inserito nel XIII volume della Commedia umana, nella sezione Scene di vita militare. È il primo romanzo in cui appare l'elemento romantico oltre a quello storico, con intrighi amorosi e incontri paradossali, nel contesto della guerra civile francese di fine XVIII …

A New York Review Books Original One of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who, depending on one's perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to artists as various as Cézanne, …

La Rabouilleuse is an 1842 novel by Honoré de Balzac as part of his series La Comédie humaine. The Black Sheep is the title of the English translation by Donald Adamson published by Penguin Classics. It tells the story of the Bridau family, trying to regain their lost inheritance after a series of unfortunate mishaps. …

Le Lys dans la Vallée is an 1835 novel about love and society by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac. It concerns the affection — emotionally vibrant but never consummated — between Felix de Vandenesse and Henriette de Mortsauf. It is part of his series of novels known as La Comédie humaine, which parodies …