Honoré de Balzac - Biography.

Honoré de Balzac - Biography. French novelist Birth May 20, 1799 Death August 18, 1850 Place of Birth Tours, France Principal Paris, France Residence Known as A forerunner of literary realism whose work is characterized by its attention to detail and its historical accuracy Milestones 1814-1819 Moved to Paris and attended law school while working as a law clerk 1819-1829 Decided to pursue a literary career, and published a number of flawed and unsuccessful novels under different pseudonyms 1829 Published The Chouans, using his name for the first time; also published the satirical novel The Physiology of Marriage 1831 Published his first successful novel, the philosophical The Ass's Skin 1832 Published Louis Lambert 1833 Began publishing novels at a frenzied pace, including The Country Doctor and Eugénie Grandet 1834 Published the novel Old Goriot, in which he first reused characters from past works, establishing a pattern that continued in his novels 1837-1843 Published the trilogy Lost Illusions 1842-1848 Published The Human Comedy, a 17-volume compilation of about 90 of his novels, which collectively depicted contemporary French society 1846 Published Cousin Bette; Cousin Pons appeared the following year Quote 'Man is neither good nor bad; he is born with instincts and abilities.' The Human Comedy, foreword (1842) Did You Know Obsessive about his work, Balzac sometimes wrote as much as 14 hours a day, fueling his creativity with strong coffee. Balzac had a 17-year love affair with Polish countess Eveline Hanska, whom he married shortly before his death. French sculptor Auguste Rodin created controversy with a nude bronze statue of Balzac that emphasized the writer's virility. Balzac was turned down twice in his effort to gain election into the French Academy, a prestigious French literary organization. The Human Comedy contains over 2,000 different characters, some of whom appear in multiple novels. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.