Honoré de Balzac

French novelist and playwright (1799–1850)
Person human Q9711
Honoré de Balzac
Louis-Auguste Bisson · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Honoré de Balzac, born on May 20, 1799, in Tours [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], was a French novelist, literary critic, prose writer, journalist, and art critic [21][15][17][18][22][23]. He studied at the University of Paris, Lycée Charlemagne, and Paris Law Faculty , contributing primarily to French literature, journalism, and literary criticism [24]. A central figure in literary realism , Balzac was influenced by Walter Scott and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon .

Balzac’s notable works include *Père Goriot*, *The Human Comedy*, *Illusions perdues*, *Eugénie Grandet*, *Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes*, and *La Peau de chagrin* . He served as president of the Société des gens de lettres from 1839 to 1840 [25] and was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honour [26]. His siblings included Laure Surville [23], and his father was Bernard-François Balzac [23].

He married Ewelina Hańska in 1850 [27][23] and died on August 18, 1850, in Paris from gangrene [28][2][3][4][15][17][18][29][21][19][20][23]. Balzac was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery [30].

Honoré de Balzac

Summary

Honoré de Balzac is a human[1]. Born in Tours[2], he… he was born on May 20, 1799[3]. He died in Paris[4]. He died on August 18, 1850[5]. He worked as a novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], and journalist[10]. He ranks in the top 0.57% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (7,356 views/month, #5,744 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in Tours[2], Honoré de Balzac…
  • Honoré de Balzac passed away in Paris[4].
  • Honoré de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799[3].
  • Honoré de Balzac was born on January 1, 1799[12].
  • Honoré de Balzac died on August 18, 1850[5].
  • Honoré de Balzac is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery[13].
  • Honoré de Balzac is buried at Grave of Balzac and Ewelina Hańska[14].
  • Honoré de Balzac's father was Bernard-François Balzac[15].
  • Honoré de Balzac's mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[16].
  • Among Honoré de Balzac's spouses was Ewelina Hańska[17].
  • A child of Honoré de Balzac was Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay[18].
  • Honoré de Balzac held citizenship in France[19].
  • French was Honoré de Balzac's native language[20].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a novelist[6].
  • Honoré de Balzac's professions included literary critic[7].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a writer[8].
  • Honoré de Balzac's professions included prose writer[9].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a journalist[10].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as an art critic[21].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was French literature[22].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was journalism[23].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was literary criticism[24].
  • Honoré de Balzac held the position of president of the Société des gens de lettres[25].
  • Honoré de Balzac's education included a stint at University of Paris[26].
  • Honoré de Balzac's education included a stint at Lycée Charlemagne[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Honoré de Balzac's place of birth was Tours[2]. Recorded date of birth include May 20, 1799[3] and January 1, 1799[12]. His father was Bernard-François Balzac[15]. His mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[16]. French was his native language[20].

Education

Educated at University of Paris[26], a former entity[28], in France[29], founded in 1150[30], headquartered in Paris[31]; Lycée Charlemagne[27], an educational facility[32], in France[33], founded in 1965[34]; and Paris Law Faculty[35], a faculty[36], in France[37]. Honoré de Balzac earned the academic degree of Bachelor of Laws[38].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], journalist[10], and art critic[21]. Fields of work include French literature[22], a field of study[39]; journalism[23], an industry[40]; and literary criticism[24], a literary genre[41]. Honoré de Balzac held the position of president of the Société des gens de lettres[25].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Père Goriot[42], a literary work[43], founded in 1835[44]; The Human Comedy[45], a literary cycle[46]; Illusions perdues[47], a literary work[48]; Eugénie Grandet[49], a literary work[50], founded in 1834[51]; Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes[52]; and La Peau de chagrin[53].

Recognition

Awards received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[54], a grade of an order[55], in France[56] and Q130762055[57].

Personal Life

Honoré de Balzac was married to Ewelina Hańska[17]. A child of him was Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay[18]. His religion is recorded as Catholicism[58].

Death and Burial

Honoré de Balzac died on August 18, 1850[5]. He died in Paris[4]. The cause of death was gangrene[59]. Recorded place of burial include Père Lachaise Cemetery[13] and Grave of Balzac and Ewelina Hańska[14].

Why It Matters

Honoré de Balzac ranks in the top 0.57% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (7,356 views/month, #5,744 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[60] He is known by 89 alternative names across languages and contexts.[61]

He has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[62], a translator[63], 1821–1881[64], of Russian Empire[65]; Jack Kerouac[66], a writer[67], 1922–1969[68], of United States[69], specialised in American literature[70]; Bret Easton Ellis[71], a writer[72], b. 1964[73], of United States[74], specialised in performing arts[75]; George Eliot[76], a novelist[77], 1819–1880[78], of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[79], specialised in writing[80]; Mircea Eliade[81], an anthropologist[82], 1907–1986[83], of Kingdom of Romania[84], awarded the Gordon J. Laing Award[85], specialised in religious studies[86]; and Jacques Rivette[87], a film director[88], 1928–2016[89], of France[90], awarded the Sutherland Trophy[91], specialised in film[92].

He is credited with the discovery of Vautrin[93]. Works attributed to him include The Human Comedy[94], Père Goriot[95], Illusions perdues[96], Cousin Bette[97], Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes[98], and Les Chouans[99].

FAQs

Where was Honoré de Balzac born?

Honoré de Balzac's place of birth was Tours[2].

Where did Honoré de Balzac die?

Honoré de Balzac died in Paris[4].

Who were Honoré de Balzac's parents?

Honoré de Balzac's father was Bernard-François Balzac[15]. Honoré de Balzac's mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[16].

Who was Honoré de Balzac married to?

Honoré de Balzac's spouses include Ewelina Hańska[17].

What did Honoré de Balzac do for work?

Honoré de Balzac worked as novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], and journalist[10].

Where did Honoré de Balzac go to school?

Honoré de Balzac was educated at University of Paris[26], Lycée Charlemagne[27], and Paris Law Faculty[35].

What awards did Honoré de Balzac receive?

Honors received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[54] and Q130762055[57].

Who did Honoré de Balzac influence?

Honoré de Balzac has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[62], Jack Kerouac[66], Bret Easton Ellis[71], and George Eliot[76].

What did Honoré de Balzac discover?

Honoré de Balzac is credited as discoverer of Vautrin[93].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [15] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [16] . wikidata.org.
  5. [17] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . notablebiographies.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [19] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [25] . sgdl.org. sgdl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  8. [18] . wikidata.org.
  9. [26] . wikidata.org.
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  12. [22] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [23] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [24] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [20] . wikidata.org.
  16. [6] . Q131401229. wikidata.org.
  17. [7] . wikidata.org.
  18. [8] . Archivio Storico Ricordi. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [9] . wikidata.org.
  20. [10] . wikidata.org.
  21. [21] . wikidata.org.
  22. [13] . Le Père Lachaise historique, monumental et biographique. wikidata.org.
  23. [14] . wikidata.org.
  24. [58] . wikidata.org.
  25. [54] . legiondhonneur.fr. Retrieved . legiondhonneur.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [57] . Le Monde. wikidata.org.
  27. [59] . wikidata.org.
  28. [38] . wikidata.org.
  29. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . d-nb.info. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  30. [12] . Q131401229. bartleby.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  31. [5] . La Mort de Balzac. Retrieved . fr.wikisource.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  32. [42] . wikidata.org.
  33. [45] . wikidata.org.
  34. [47] . wikidata.org.
  35. [49] . wikidata.org.
  36. [52] . wikidata.org.
  37. [53] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [62] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [66] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [71] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [76] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  13. [99] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

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  15. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  19. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  24. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  44. [91] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [92] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [60] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [61] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 8d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 138161
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14611]]: 138161, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260429|batch #260429]]"
  2. 9d ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 1eg0mc
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  3. 14d ago · Printstream · 2026-07-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 118506358
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14608]]: 118506358, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  4. 22d ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 341852
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14536]]: 341852, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  5. 24d ago · Susmuffin · 2026-06-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag balzac
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13772]]: balzac, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289911022|balzac (#289911022)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's tag]] #mix'n'mat"
  6. 5w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id p0003853-Balzac-Honore-de-17991850
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0003853-Balzac-Honore-de-17991850, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259499|batch #259499]]"
  7. 5w ago · Bargioni · 2026-06-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Concise Literary Encyclopedia, Literary Encyclopedia 1929—1939 +11
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/35587|batch #35587]]: add P1810 to P8034"
  8. 8w ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 5906
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14397]]: 5906, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258229|batch #258229]]"
  9. 9w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30855|batch #30855]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (9)"
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