Honoré de Balzac

One of the pioneers of the realistic novel, he was born in 1799 in the city of Tours, France. He studied law, following his family's encouragement, and philosophy. In 1819, he refused to pursue a career as a notary to dedicate himself to writing philosophical essays, novels, and tragedies. Known for his prolific nature, he was characterized by relentless diligence and indomitable spirit, often to excess: the same applied to his love life, indulgences, extravagances, and megalomania. He lived burdened by debt, working increasingly harder and taking on more to free himself from it. In 1822, he became the lover of Madame de Berny, who was 20 years his senior. She was the first to read and transcribe his works. She would pay for every commercial failure of his: a printing house, a bookstore, a newspaper publication, pineapple plantations, and railroad shares. He engaged in simultaneous romantic relationships, and in 1832, received the first letter from the "foreigner," Eveline Hanska, beginning a passionate correspondence. They married in 1850, a few months before his death. It took several years of effort, writing serial novels for the popular feuilletons of the time, often unsigned, before he achieved success. In 1833, he conceived the idea for his monumental project, "The Human Comedy," where Balzac speaks of "the vast scope of a plan that simultaneously embraces the history and critique of society, the analysis of its woes, and the exploration of its principles," including a significant portion of his work, such as: "Cousin Bette," "Père Goriot," "Eugénie Grandet," "Colonel Chabert," and "Cousin Pons." He died in 1850 in Paris at the age of just 51.