PlainGeets

A museum dedicated to the life and works of Honoré de Balzac, Maison de Balzac offers a glimpse into the writer’s literary heritage. Tucked away in an unassuming corner of the hillside of the 16th arrondissement (once the village of Passy), the museum offers a wonderful retreat to visitors curious about the life and times of Balzac.

Best known for his ambitious project “La Comédie Humaine,” a vast series of novels and stories that sought to comprehensively portray French society during his era, Balzac aimed to capture the social and economic reality of his time, delving into the intricacies of the human condition through a diverse array of characters and social backgrounds. His works are characterized by their profound exploration of human motivations, social interactions, and psychological complexities. His detailed descriptions and realistic narrative style have influenced numerous subsequent writers and have left a lasting impact on world literature.

Balzac was one of the revered authors in my recommended reading during my Masters in English Literature, but it was only during my Masters in FLE that I delved deeper into his works. “La Comédie Humaine” proved to be a challenge, but I did enjoy “Le Chef d’oeuvre d’Inconnu” a short story that reveals the challenges of an anonymous artist trying to find his place in the art world, highlighting the complexities of creativity and notoriety. So it was with great joy that I rediscovered the master’s works.

In addition to some personal items, memorabilia and original documents that are on display, providing an intimate insight into the writer’s life, visitors can also discover his study, where he wrote many of his works. Notorious for being a perfectionist and a fretter, Balzac wrote his books by hand, before typing them out…and then started editing them. Featured in the museum are the revisions of pages from some of his works, with his many annotations.

It’s no surprise that Balzac worked long hours, shut away in his study, far from the hustle and bustle of Parisian life , in order to write and produce his works. But I was quite astonished to discover his daily routine, and that he sometimes worked for 19 hours at a stretch!

Maison de Balzac stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Honoré de Balzac and his profound impact on literature and culture. Afterwards, we sat for a bit allowing the magic of Balzac to wash over us, sipping on a cup of coffee, while we admired the view in front of us, of the beautiful garden, and the Eiffel Tower peeking out from behind the trees and roofs of Paris.

If you’ve gone to see the Iron Lady, go a bit further, and visit Maison de Balzac to complete your cultural experience by delving into the world of a literary pioneer, and end the day in the charming garden and cafe-bakery.