[Pocket Edition] World Literature Masterpieces Library - Old Man High Tailor (Pocket Edition)

Author: Balzac
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Madame Vauquer, born into the Confrance family, is an elderly woman who has been living in Paris for forty years, managing a cheap boarding house. The boarding house is located on the Rue Sainte-Geneviève, between the Latin Quarter and the Suburbs of Saint-Mars, named the Vauquer's Lodging. It takes in guests of all ages and genders without ever being slandered or having its reputation tarnished due to moral issues. However, for the past thirty years, no young man has stayed there, as only those with meager family support would choose to live there. Yet, in 1819, when this tragedy begins, a poor young girl is residing in the boarding house.
Recent literature has favored depicting suffering, with the term "tragedy" being overused and exaggerated to the point of disbelief. Yet, it is necessary here—not in the literal sense of the word, as this is indeed a tragic story. However, after reading this work, both the people inside and outside the boarding house may shed a few tears. As for whether anyone outside Paris can understand this work, that is highly questionable. It is filled with on-the-ground observations and local color, a unique charm that can only be appreciated by those who have lived on Montmartre Heights and the Red Hill.
This famous basin is characterized by dilapidated houses, crumbling plaster, intersecting ditches, and murky, foul-smelling water flowing through them. The residents have endured hardships, and when good fortune occasionally strikes, it is often short-lived. Everyone is restless, and it is questionable what major events would even cause a momentary stir. But here and there...