Honoré de Balzac
Balzac, Honoré de
May 20, 1799 – August 18, 1850 (aged 51)
Birth place: Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France
Browse magazine works (first published 1822)
Generally considered the creator of realism in literature and one of the greatest fiction writers of all time. Schooled in Paris, Balzac worked for a lawyer at age 16, writing plays and novels at night. After the failure of his fiction, he attempted to start a business, which also failed. In 1829 he finally published his first novel, and spent the bulk of his life in Paris. As with many SF writers, Balzac had a plan to unify his novels into a unified series, referring to it as <i>The Human Comedy</i>, which eventually encompassed some 90 novels and novellas.
Pen Names
Auguste Le Poitevin de l'Egreville · Balzac · H. de Balzac · Honore Balzac