Honoré de Balzac

Life has the capacity of great moments and attainment, of lives well lived, fulfilling for ourselves and for those we touch. But for others life is arduous. There is no spark to ignite the curiosity, to explore and achieve a stability and a growth to their lives....

The Bette referred to in this magnificent novel's title is Lisbeth Fischer, an excruciatingly cunning poor relation who both depends upon and nurses a terrible grudge....

Obra maestra de Balzac, Las ilusiones perdidas cuenta la historia de un joven de provincias con ambiciones artísticas que sueña con triunfar en París....

Hailed as the father of the naturalist novel, French author and playwright Honoré de Balzac left a legacy of treasured literary works that include Père Goriot and Cousin Bette....

Voici donc l'histoire de ce père Goriot, vermicellien ayant fait fortune et qui, tel l'Albatros de Baudelaire, se déchirera les entrailles pour élever ses enfants...

Impoverished young aristocrat Eugene de Rastignac is determined to climb the social ladder and impress himself on Parisian high society. He encounters Jean-Joachim Goriot, a retired vermicelli maker....

Brothers Philippe and Joseph Bridau are completely unalike: Philippe, braggart and soldier, formerly aide-de-camp to Napoleon, is their mother Agathe's favorite; Joseph, a poor and aspiring artist, is raised in his brother's shadow....

At the shabby boarding house in the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, petty Madame Vauquer and her tenants wonder at the plight of the aging resident Goriot....

Lisbeth Fischer has lived in the shadow of her beautiful cousin Adeline for much of her life. Pampered while Lisbeth works in the fields, Adeline makes an enviable leap in status when Baron Hulot offers her his hand in marriage....

Inspiré à Balzac par son expérience dans l'imprimerie, Illusions perdues raconte l'échec de Lucien de Rubempré, jeune provincial épris de gloire littéraire...

Par cette fresque aux allures de roman policier, Balzac dépeint et fustige les incohérences sociales, politiques et judiciaires de son...

This is a heart-wrenching story of a man driven to poverty by the selfless acts and the overwhelming love and devotion that he has for his two daughters....

Pons, musicien sans fortune, bon et naïf, est traité en parent pauvre par sa riche famille, les Camusot de Marville. Le jour où ils découvrent que...

In the brutal Prussian winter of 1807, Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée suffered massive losses to the Russians in the Battle of Eylau. Many thousands died. Young Colonel Chabert falls heroically, his actions having turned the tide of the battle....

Balzac’s universally loved novel explores the great theme of money and its effect on the human character....

Un padre despreciado por las hijas que ama....

Una bellísima cortesana, casi adolescente y enamorada, un poeta-vividor, también enamorado, y un ex convicto serán los personajes centrales de esta novela que, aunque escrita con estilo irregular....

Dans "La Peau de chagrin", un de ses premiers romans à coloration fantastique, Balzac nous dévoile le mythe sans doute le plus central dans "La Comédie Humaine"...

Fanny Ardant nous conte l'histoire de "La duchesse de Langeais" de Balzac. A la base de ce roman, le désir de se venger de la marquise de Castries dont il était amoureux et qui l'avait joué...

C'est le premier portrait de femme profondément destructrice, rancunière et laide que Balzac ait produit. Elle se voit apparentée à un animal malfaisant...