THE TOURVILLE LOVES THE BALZAC HOUSE
Time seems long and you don’t know how to keep yourself busy? The Balzac House, nestled in the heart of the 16th arrondissement, will surprise you!
Honoré de Balzac wanted to be the witness of his century. In his novels, we learn to discover the 19th century. He focuses on the realities of daily life and thanks to the richness of his observations, the Human Comedy has today a value of historical testimony that allows us to follow the rise of the French upper-class. The reading of his works allows us the escape and the constant deepening of our knowledge on an era that is sometimes unknown to us.
The characters of The Human Comedy that he stages are captivating, know that the personal friends of this famous writer served him as models for these characters. Victor Hugo, George Sand, Franz Liszt, exchanged with him abundantly, stimulated the creation of his works.
The French writer left one of the most imposing novels in French literature with 93 novels published from 1829 to 1855.
A LITERARY MUSEUM
The Balzac House, located in the heart of the Passy district, is the only Parisian residence of the writer that remains today. Honoré de Balzac lived in this house for a few years and took advantage of the calm of the old village of Passy to write many of his works.
Today it is a museum dedicated to the novelist and his work. We had the chance to admire some of its furniture and personal items such as its small writing table. The piece that really impressed us is, without a doubt, the room dedicated to the genealogy of the characters of the «Human Comedy». By discovering the drawings, the silhouettes of more than 1000 characters, we become aware of the scope of his work.
During the visit, an anecdote was told: in October 1840, Balzac, who was riddled with debts, tried to be discreet and in order to escape his creditors, used a back door overlooking the street below.
We invite you to visit this pretty house on the hills of Passy, overlooking Rue Breton where the street lights and the sinuosities of the country trail seem to tell the history of the old village. This picturesque museum with undeniable charm is not lack of an incredible zing!