Balzac: Selected Short Stories

By Honoré de Balzac

Book Overview

One of the greatest French novelists, Balzac was also an accomplished writer of shorter fiction. This volume includes twelve of his finest short stories - many of which feature characters from his epic series of novels the Com die Humaine. Compelling tales of acute social and psychological insight, they fully demonstrate the mastery of suspense and revelation that were the hallmarks of Balzac's genius. In The Atheist's Mass, we learn the true reason for a distinguished atheist surgeon's attendance at religious services; La Grande Breteche describes the horrific truth behind the locked doors of a decaying country mansion, while The Red Inn relates a brutal tale of murder and betrayal. A fascinating counterpoint to the renowned novels, all the stories collected here stand by themselves as mesmerizing works by one of the finest writers of nineteenth-century France.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140443258
• ISBN13: 9780140443257
• Release Date: May 1977
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Honore de Balzac ~ Selected Short Stories [Penguin Classics]

09/09/2008 Merit-Worthy of Balzac: Beautiful cover, short stories filled with Balzac's lively imagination and minute observations of the details of everyday life and acute social and psychological insight coupled with Balzac's keen sense of irony. Human Nature doesn't change as social and economic conditions do. Tales as mesmerizingly relevant today as they were when written over a century ago. Recommended Reading: La Comedie Humaine: Honore de Balzac's multi-volume collection of novels depicting French society 1815-1848: Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose...

No editing error.

I have to put a five star rating to nutralize the other 1-star review. What's wrong with you or with your book, my copy contains exactly what it supposed to contain, including, "The forsaken woman".