The Unknown Masterpiece

Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) was born in Tours, France, on May 20, with a restless mind and an insatiable curiosity—traits that would define his life and work. Before he became the literary giant of La Comédie Humaine, he was a struggling writer, a failed businessman, and a man constantly entangled in financial woes. Yet, through it all, he never stopped writing. Balzac's ambition was as boun...