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 (6,733 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].

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[28]

  • Country: FR[29]

  • Began / founded: 1799-05-20[30]

  • Ended / dissolved: 1850-08-18[31]

  • Community tags: has german audiobooks[32]

  • MusicBrainz ID: a0412c28-426e-409c-a7ed-363a3ffc481a[33]

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[34], in France[35], founded in 1150[36], headquartered in Paris[37]; Lycée Charlemagne[27], an educational facility[38], in France[39], founded in 1965[40]; and Paris Law Faculty[41], a faculty[42], in France[43]. Honoré de Balzac earned the academic degree of Bachelor of Laws[44].

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[45]; journalism[23], an industry[46]; and literary criticism[24], a literary genre[47]. Honoré de Balzac held the position of president of the Société des gens de lettres[25].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Père Goriot[48], a literary work[49], founded in 1835[50]; The Human Comedy[51], a literary cycle[52]; Illusions perdues[53], a literary work[54]; Eugénie Grandet[55], a literary work[56], founded in 1834[57]; Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes[58]; and La Peau de chagrin[59].

Recognition

Awards received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[60], a grade of an order[61], in France[62] and Q130762055[63].

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[64].

Death and Burial

Honoré de Balzac died on August 18, 1850[5]. He died in Paris[4]. The cause of death was gangrene[65]. 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 (6,733 views/month, #5,744 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[66] He is known by 89 alternative names across languages and contexts.[67]

He has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[68], a translator[69], 1821–1881[70], of Russian Empire[71]; George Eliot[72], a novelist[73], 1819–1880[74], of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[75], specialised in writing[76]; William Faulkner[77], a screenwriter[78], 1897–1962[79], of United States[80], awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature[81], specialised in novel[82]; Anton Chekhov[83], a physician[84], 1860–1904[85], of Russian Empire[86], awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class[87], specialised in prose[88]; Jack Kerouac[89], a writer[90], 1922–1969[91], of United States[92], specialised in American literature[93]; and Émile Zola[94], a political reporter[95], 1840–1902[96], of France[97], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[98], specialised in literature[99].

He is credited with the discovery of Vautrin[100]. Works attributed to him include The Human Comedy[101], Père Goriot[102], La Peau de chagrin[103], Illusions perdues[104], Eugénie Grandet[105], and Le Cousin Pons[106].

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[41].

What awards did Honoré de Balzac receive?

Honors received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[60] and Q130762055[63].

Who did Honoré de Balzac influence?

Honoré de Balzac has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[68], George Eliot[72], William Faulkner[77], and Anton Chekhov[83].

What did Honoré de Balzac discover?

Honoré de Balzac is credited as discoverer of Vautrin[100].

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.
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  16. [6] . Q131401229. wikidata.org.
  17. [7] . wikidata.org.
  18. [8] . Archivio Storico Ricordi. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [9] . wikidata.org.
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  22. [13] . Le Père Lachaise historique, monumental et biographique. wikidata.org.
  23. [14] . wikidata.org.
  24. [64] . wikidata.org.
  25. [60] . legiondhonneur.fr. Retrieved . legiondhonneur.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [63] . Le Monde. wikidata.org.
  27. [65] . wikidata.org.
  28. [44] . 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. [48] . wikidata.org.
  33. [51] . wikidata.org.
  34. [53] . wikidata.org.
  35. [55] . wikidata.org.
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Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [28] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [29] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [30] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
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  6. [33] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [68] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  12. [105] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [106] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

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Class ancestry

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

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [66] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [67] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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  1. 14d ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 5906
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14397]]: 5906, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258229|batch #258229]]"
  2. 21d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
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    "/* 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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