Honoré de Balzac, página 7 de 47

Honoré de Balzac, el padre de la novela realista, no pudo resistir a la atracción de lo fantástico y en varias etapas de su vida el autor de La Comedia humana rindió tributo al género del misterio y lo sobrenatural. Bajo el titulo de Melmoth reconciliado -homenaje de Balzac a Ch. R. Mathurin, autor de la consagracion y cumbre de la novela gotica Melmoth el errabundo- se recogen La obra maestra desconocida, con el tema de la pintura como eje de lo fantastico; El elixir de larga vida, una nueva version de la historia de Don Juan y sus infiernos; La posada roja y Jesucristo en Flandes, dos muestras mas del Balzac visionario.

Owing to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters; even his lesser characters are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. Inanimate objects are imbued with character as well; the city of Paris, a backdrop for much of his writing, takes on many human qualities. His writing influenced many famous writers, including the novelists Emile Zola, Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Jack Kerouac and Henry James, as well as important philosophers such as Friedrich Engels. Many of Balzacs works have been made into films, and they continue to inspire other writers.

Les Celibataires, the longest number of the original Comedie Humaine under a single title, next to Illusions perdues, is not, like that book, connected by any unity of story. Indeed, the general bond of union is pretty weak; and though it is quite true that bachelors and old maids are the heroes and heroines of all three, it would be rather hard to establish any other bond of connection, and it is rather unlikely that any one unprompted would fix on this as a sufficient ground of partnership.Two at least of the component parts, however, are of very high excellence. I do not myself think that Pierrette, which opens the series, is quite the equal of its companions. Written, as it was, for Countess Anna de Hanska, Balzacs step-daughter of the future, while she was still very young, it partakes necessarily of the rather elaborate artificiality of all attempts to suit the young person, of French attempts in particular, and it may perhaps be said of Balzacs attempts most of all. It belongs, in a way, to the Arcis seriesthe series which also includes the fine Tenebreuse Affaire and the unfinished Depute dArcisbut is not very closely connected therewith. The picture of the actual Celibataires, the brother and sister Rogron, with which it opens, is one of Balzacs best styles, and is executed with all his usual mastery both of the minute and of the at least partially repulsive, showing also that strange knowledge of the bourgeois de Paris which, somehow or other, he seems to have attained by dint of unknown foregatherings in his ten years of apprenticeship. But when we come to Pierrette herself, the story is, I think, rather less satisfying. Her persecutions and her end, and the devotion of the faithful Brigaut and the rest, are pathetic no doubt, but tend (I hope it is not heartless to say it) just a very little towards sensiblerie. The fact is that the thing is not quite in Balzacs line...

Eugénie Grandet est le récit de la vie d'une jeune fille pure, simple et bonne comme du bon pain. Eugénie vit à Saumur entre ses parents (le Père Grandet est un tonnelier avare) et une bonne, hommasse dévouée mais autoritaire, Nanon. Recluse derrière les vitres d'une maison de l'étroite rue du Temple, Eugénie ne connaît pas grand-chose de la petite ville de province, encore moins de la vie. Survient l'aimable et riche cousin parisien, Charles. L'alouette se laisse prendre à ce miroir étincelant, y voit le bonheur d'une vie nouvelle...

Han tenido que pasar casi dos siglos para que podamos leer en castellano esta obra del todo actual. Se trata de un texto audaz y divertido, irónico y mordaz, e imprescindible para conocer la historia

In questa storia ambientata in un piccolo paesino della provincia agricola francese e avente per protagonista la giovane Eugenie, figlia del ricco vignaiuolo Grandet, si ritrovano tutti i tratti tipici del romanzo realista di Balzac: la descrizione della monotona e ripetitiva vita di campagna, limprovviso scompiglio provocato dallarrivo da Parigi di unaffascinante giovanotto, il contrasto tra gli ideali romantici della figlia e la concretezza materiale del padre. Eugenie si ritrovera ricca ma ciclicamente sola, facendo emergere il reale protagonista del romanzo, ovvero la fortuna e la ricchezza che influenzano in ogni caso la vita dei personaggi: dal capofamiglia ricco e avaro che ricorda la celebre maschera di Moliere alla sua primogenita che si ritrovera ad amministrare un immenso capitale senza riuscire tuttavia a realizzare i propri sogni sentimentali.

Henri de Marsay, que a los veintidós años no tiene "sentimiento obligatorio alguno", conoce en el jardín de las Tullerías a una hermosa joven. A traves de astutos ardides, consigue convertirse en su amante, pero, aparte de averiguar que es española, que vive custodiada por un marques octogenario y por una severisima dueña, no obtiene de la misteriosa muchacha ningun indicio sobre su pasado o las circunstancias de su vida. En sus encuentros secretos, a ella le gusta vestirlo de mujer, La muchacha de los ojos de oro, publicada en 1835 e incluida en la trilogia Historia de los Trece, recupera la finura de Stendhal en el analisis de las fases del amor y anticipa la corriente decadentista de finales de siglo. Balzac aplica su pluma vigorosa a una historia extremosa y romantica, insolita en sus temas sexuales. El resultado es una exquisita anomalia.

"Balzac e romanziere assoluto, e romanziere prima che realista: il processo di riproduzione della realta o di sue parti e in lui sempre sottoposto alle esigenze e agli intenti del narratore; e per lui sarebbe piu esatto parlare, non di realismo, ma di forzatura romanzesca della realta; cio vale sicuramente per le scene ad effetto, in cui e innegabile l'esasperazione di elementi della trama; ma un'altrettale esasperazione e anche nei caratteri, nei gesti, nelle fisionomie: non e necessario pensare alle "fiamme d'inferno" riverberanti sul volto di Vautrin, basta prendere, proprio nella descrizione d'apertura del romanzo, le "bocche vizze" e i "denti avidi" dei pensionanti: dettagli feroci e deformanti, non realistici." (dall'Introduzione di Cesare De Marchi)