The mother of social realism, according to some, was Honore de Balzac. Balzac was the first author to write fiction focused on all social strata of French society. His extensive body of work spans both the July Monarchy and the Restoration era. Between 1799 and 1850, the works that he labelled La Comedie Humaine was written. There are 95 books, short tales, and articles in this comilation of prose. The short story "Maître Frenhofer," which is now known as The Unknown Masterpiece, was first published in the publication L'Artiste. Later, it became a component of La Comedie Humaine. Young Nicolas Poussin visits painter Porbus in his studio at the start of the narrative. Old master Frenhofer, who is beside him, offers insightful commentary on the expansive tableau that Porbus had just completed. The image depicts Mary ofEgypt, and while Frenhofer sings her praises, he hints that the work seems unfinished. ( )

"The Unknown Masterpiece" was thought-provoking and pretty enjoyable. Could have done without what amounted to a flood of musical criticism, though, in "Gambara" (even if that latter disquisition has me wondering about the experience of music in pre-radio/pre-recording days). ( )

Në këtë libër, Balzaku e dështon figurën për ikonën. E dështon, përshkrimin mbi fundin e kryeveprës, për ta lënë një kaligramë. Jo për atë çka ajo mbërriti të jetë, më shumë se për të lajmëruar atë që donte të ishte: të shkatërrojë realen për t’i zënë vendin. Për të shpëtuar copën, të pareduktueshmen, monadën, bukurinë. Për t’ia dhënë asaj që është e pashkatërrueshme e cilësinë e vet. Asaj që është …Imazh.

In his essay 'The Death of the Author,' William Gass fires off a machine gun at Roland Barthes, and Balzac, thanks to Barthes's "S/Z", is taken out as collateral damage. "Balzac relishes [bourgeois] stereotypes and pat phrases and vulgar elegancies; his taste is that of the turtle which has found itself in a robust soup; he, too, would flatter the reader, the public, the world which receives him until it receives him well and warmly; and Roland Barthes, for all his fripperies like like on a sleeve, for all his textual pleasures... is no better, accepting a pseudoradical role as if it were the last one left in the basket... Balzac is more moral the way more money is more money; his is the ultimate hosanna of utility; however hard his eye, his look will land light."

I thought that was harsh, but really, this is pretty mediocre stuff, saved by the fact that it's fun to think about. These are two stories ("Gambara" is the second) about artists who fail in their art because they try to make the art too theoretically sound, too philosophically reflective, too didactic.

That is, these are two philosophically reflective, didactic stories about how artists who are philosophically reflective and didactic ultimately fail as artists. Really, Honore? Well yes, really, because *if he had noticed that his stories insist that these particular stories must be garbage, he would have broken his own rules.* The only way to write stories is unconsciously, with genius, which means no caring about things like internal intellectual consistency, form, or craft. So although the stories themselves are intellectually incoherent, they are *also* intellectually coherent.

This is the kind of paradox that you only get from people like Balzac, whose greatness is due entirely to his being willing to write constantly, whether he has anything to say or not. Balzac is a drudge. These two stories are about geniuses who, through an excess of drudgery, have betrayed their genius.

Perhaps, in these stories, an excess of genius led Balzac to betray the drudgery that makes him great.

So, fun to talk about, but pretty dull reading, especially when the artists start talking about their art. I'll take James' stories about artists any day. ( )

Easily the best entry point into Balzac's impressive oeuvre, these two short novellas display the key features of this literary master's ability. The first feature is astounding, complex description, and the second is dramatic, intelligent dialogue. The latter is worthy of a grandiose stage play and the former is often as striking as a prose poem. Combining these approaches, Balzac allows the characters take on intense life during the simple dramatic context he constructs.

"The Unknown Masterpiece" provides the perfect setup for Balzac to discus (or show off) what he knows about artistic form and composition. At the same time, he displays these very architecturally sound qualities in his own writing. The characters are vivid in the extreme and the descriptions are superb. Balzac casually casts aphorisms and pithy pronouncements into intricate tapestries of sentences until it takes effort and concentration to grasp the far-reaching concepts he's simultaneously lassoing in amid the interplay of ideas. Though he argues there is often an unbridgeable gap between conception and execution, he proves the exception to the rule by expressing with utter perfection lucid concepts and splendid thematic irony. Many artists have few affinity with the historical figures from the 17th century depicted in this story including Picasso and Cézanne.

This edition includes an excellent, if not essential, introduction providing additional historical context.

"Gambara" is the second, longer novella. Its focus pertains to music, though many of the pronouncements made by the eccentric characters echo those of the first piece. Taken together, they are both complementary and contrasting. With playful humor, the author contrives basic scenes to give his disproportionately ingenious characters a soapbox, and it is a joy to read their sinuous arguments and philosophical rants. Balzac is a consummate stylist, who with grand gestures and crystal clarity deepens verisimilitude. In this quick read, the expression of intelligence is everywhere in evidence. ( )