By Honoré de Balzac started his literary career writing for the theatre but quickly found that his best source of income was writing pot boiler novels, which he initially published under a pseudonym. He later put them together as “Scenes from Private Life” and they were to become part of his life’s work published under the title “La Comédie humaine” – “The Human Comedy”.
Balzac’s writing was prolific and diverse – a reflection of society as he saw it. The final collection of 91 works as well as dozens of unfinished titles included “Scenes of Political Life”, “Scenes of Military Life” and “Scenes of Parisian Life” and so on. He wrote most nights from 1 am to 8 am, sometimes continuing for up to fifteen hours straight.
He drew inspiration from the people around him particularly his many lovers. Although he was small and overweight, his writing seduced women, who felt he understood them. The women in his novels were as diverse as those in his private life and they are often recognisable in his novels even though they have been given other names.
Indeed, it was a woman who he credits with making him a writer – his first great love Laure de Berny. When they met she was a 45 years old mother of nine. He was 22 and had been hired to give lessons to her daughters at home. She initially resisted and suggested he marry one of her daughters, but finally became his lover.
His relationship with his own mother had been difficult and he saw in Laure a mother figure as well as a lover. Other lovers included the widow of one of Napoleon’s generals and the odd duchess and countess.
The love of his life was a Polish countess living in Ukraine. Like many women, she wrote to him after reading his novels. She signed the letter “L’Etrangère” – the foreigner. As requested, he placed an advertisement in the newspaper to confirm he had received the letter. They started writing to each other with the letters going via her daughter’s governess. In the third letter he told her he was in love with her, despite knowing nothing about her, even her age. Balzac sent her more than four hundred letters over the years that followed.
When the countess became a widow, Balzac was determined to marry her. Even though he swore he had been faithful, she had heard all the rumours. He insisted for example, that during his six day stay with author George Sand at her chateau in Nohant, that they had spent the nights chatting: “from five in the evening until five in the morning.”
He pursued the countess, who agreed to travel with him and even stayed with him in Paris for a few weeks. Nine years after becoming a widow, the countess finally married Balzac in 1850 in the Ukraine. Balzac’s health had never been good and he was ill and had to delay the return to Paris for a few weeks. They arrived back in Paris and Balzac died, five months after the wedding, at the age of 51.
Victor Hugo was with him when he died and gave the eulogy at his funeral.
