Lost illusions

According to the works of Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), one can make an exhaustive idea of ​​the history and everyday life of France in the first half of the 19th century. But Balzac not only described the world around him, he also created his own world - a multi -volume "human comedy", in which the characters move from one work to another, maintaining family ties, habits and addictions. Balzak heroes are people embraced by strong, all -consuming and most often destructive passion. The passion of Lucien de Ryubampra, the hero of the novel "Lost Illusions", is ambition. The hero wants to achieve success at all costs and for the sake of this betrays his poetic talent. The action of the novel unfolds in the Paris literary environment, and this allows Balzac to draw a spectacular and unsightly picture of modern journalism.

The accompanying article and the notes of Vera Milchina

Vera Arkadyevna Milchina is a literature historian and a translator, a leading researcher at the IVGI RSU and the steps of the RANEPA. The author of the books" Russia and France. Diplomats. Writers. Spies "(2004)," Paris in 1814-1848: everyday life "(2013) and" Names of Parisian streets. Guide by the names" (2016) Its translation published works by Balzac, Chateaubrian, Nodier, Ms. de Steel, Georges Sand and other French prose writers of the first half of the 19th century