Selected Short Stories of Balzac

Author: Balzac
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Among the great figures, Balzac is the foremost; among the outstanding figures, Balzac is the most exceptional. His wisdom is brilliant and unique, and his achievements are beyond what can be fully described. All his works come together as one book—a living, radiant, and profound book. The entire lineage of our contemporary civilization, its development and dynamics, are presented before us with astonishing realism. —Hugo This book collects twelve of Balzac's short and medium-length stories, each shining like treasures. Among them are: Gobseck, which portrays the typical image of a usurer; The Colonel Chabert, The Elixir of Life, and The Hotel de la Violette, which expose the horrifying crimes hidden behind gold and jewels and analyze the psychology of greed; The Ball at the Savoy, which criticizes the concept of social hierarchy; The Shop of the Cat's Ball, The Woman Abandoned, which reflect various issues in marital life; Family Revenge, which laments the tragedy of pure love and criticizes the barbaric custom of interclan hatred; The Reformation of Maitre Moquelet and The Wondrous Work, praised by Marx as "small masterpieces full of dialectics"; and The Atheist at Mass, which celebrates the pure and noble souls of laborers. Each story is stirring, moving, and thought-provoking.