If we’re talking Balzac and the old French heavyweights, then Gramsci could do worse than start with the wonderful La Peau de chagrin.
And when in Paris, visit the house Balzac rented for a while in Western Paris (the only Balzac house still in existence). Free admission too as it belongs to the Paris municipality, http://www.maisondebalzac.paris.fr/en/discover-museum
It is one of the many locations that Balzac used to hide from the bailiffs (he rented it under his housekeeper’s name), it was part of Passy village then (so, not Paris proper and it was harder for the Parisian authorities to get him, or something like that). I think he'd rigged up some sort of secret passage to get quickly to the back door and escape through the garden whenever the bailiffs would come knocking at the door (but sadly that's gone). Just like Baudelaire, who lived in 45 (!) known Paris places (probably more then), mainly situated in the hypercentre (and briefly in Brussels too), in 20-odd years at the same time as Balzac give or take a few years (same reason, playing hide-and-seek with the bailiffs).
And when in Paris, visit the house Balzac rented for a while in Western Paris (the only Balzac house still in existence). Free admission too as it belongs to the Paris municipality, http://www.maisondebalzac.paris.fr/en/discover-museum
It is one of the many locations that Balzac used to hide from the bailiffs (he rented it under his housekeeper’s name), it was part of Passy village then (so, not Paris proper and it was harder for the Parisian authorities to get him, or something like that). I think he'd rigged up some sort of secret passage to get quickly to the back door and escape through the garden whenever the bailiffs would come knocking at the door (but sadly that's gone). Just like Baudelaire, who lived in 45 (!) known Paris places (probably more then), mainly situated in the hypercentre (and briefly in Brussels too), in 20-odd years at the same time as Balzac give or take a few years (same reason, playing hide-and-seek with the bailiffs).
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