The Maison de Balzac ( en, Balzac's House) is a

writer's house museum Writers' homes (sometimes writer's, author's or literary houses) are locations where writers lived. Frequently, these homes are preserved as historic house museums and literary tourism destinations, called writer's home museums, especially when t ...

in the former residence of French novelist

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

(1799–1850). It is located in the

16th arrondissement The 16th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''seizième''. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de Tr ...

at 47, rue Raynouard, Paris, France, and open daily except Mondays and holidays; admission to the house is free, but a fee is charged for its temporary exhibitions. The nearest métro and RER stations are Passy and Avenue du Président Kennedy. The modest house, with its courtyard and garden, is located within the residential district of Passy near the

Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...

. Having fled his creditors, Balzac rented its top floor from 1840 to 1847 under his housekeeper's name (Mr. de Breugnol). It was acquired by the city of Paris in 1949, and is now one of the city's three literary museums, along with the

Maison de Victor Hugo Maison de Victor Hugo () is a writer's house museum located where Victor Hugo lived for 16 years between 1832 and 1848.Information sheet from the Maire de Paris entitled 'Maisons de Victor Hugo'. It is one of the 14 City of Paris' Museums that hav ...

and the

Musée de la Vie Romantique The Musée de la Vie romantique (Museum of Romantic Life, or ''Museum of the Romantics'') stands at the foot of Montmartre hill in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 16 rue Chaptal, Paris, France in an 1830 ''hôtel particulier'' facing two twin-stu ...

(

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...

). It is the only one of Balzac's many residences still in existence. Balzac's five-room apartment was located on the top floor, at three levels, and as today opened into the garden. Here he edited '' La Comedie humaine'' and wrote some of his finest novels, including ''

La Rabouilleuse ''La Rabouilleuse'' (''The Black Sheep'', or ''The Two Brothers'') is an 1842 novel by Honoré de Balzac, and is one of '' The Celibates'' in the series '' La Comédie humaine''. ''The Black Sheep'' is the title of the English translation by Dona ...

'', '' Une ténébreuse affaire'', and ''

La Cousine Bette ''La Cousine Bette'' (, ''Cousin Bette (given name), Bette'') is an 1846 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Set in mid-19th-century Paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plots the destruction of her extended fami ...

''. Although the writer's furniture was dispersed after his widow's death, the museum now contains Balzac's writing desk and chair, his turquoise-studded cane by Lecointe (1834), and his tea kettle and a coffee pot given to him by Zulma Carraud in 1832. The museum also contains an 1842 daguerreotype of Balzac by

Louis-Auguste Bisson Louis-Auguste Bisson (; 1814–1876) was a 19th-century French photographer. Bisson opened a photographic studio in early 1841. Soon after, his brother Auguste-Rosalie Bisson (1826–1900) entered into partnership with him. Their studio was in t ...

, a drawing of Balzac by

Paul Gavarni Paul Gavarni was the pen name of Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (13 January 1804 – 24 November 1866), a French illustrator, born in Paris. Early career Gavarni's father, Sulpice Chevalier, was from a family line of coopers from Burgundy. Pau ...

(c. 1840), a pastel portrait (c. 1798) of Balzac's mother Laure Sallambier (1778–1854), an oil portrait (c. 1795–1814) of his father Bernard-François Balzac (1746–1829), and 19th-century prints by renowned artists including

Honoré Daumier Honoré-Victorin Daumier (; February 26, 1808February 10, 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the second N ...

, Grandville, and Henry Bonaventure Monnier. Since 1971 the house's ground floor has contained a library of the author's manuscripts, original and subsequent editions, illustrations, books annotated and signed by Balzac, books devoted to Balzac, and other books and magazines of the period. In 2012, Balzac's House was renovated in order to meet current standards and now has a more modern appearance. The house is also notable for underlying cavities which have been identified by pottery shards as former troglodyte dwellings dated to the time of the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. These excavations, however, are not open to the public. Balzac's House is one of the 14 City of Paris' Museums that have been incorporated since January 1, 2013 in the public institution

Paris Musées Paris Musées is a public institution that has incorporated in the same entity the 14 City of Paris Museums plus staff in charge of management, collection monitoring and production of exhibitions, events and editions, bringing together about 1000 e ...

Theater at the Maison de Balzac

* 1993: '' The Muse of the Department'' * 1994 and 1999: '' Letters of Two Brides'' * 1998: ''Eugenie Grandet or history of a still life'' * 2012: '' Seraphita'', adapted and directed by Ouriel Zohar, with Barbara Heman

References

External links

Museum on Paris Musées' website

Museum's web pages on paris.fr

Paris Musées official website

{{authority control Museums in Paris Historic house museums in Paris Honoré de Balzac Buildings and structures in the 16th arrondissement of Paris Houses in Paris Literary museums in France Paris Musées Maisons des Illustres

Theater at the Maison de Balzac

See also

References

External links