Lost Illusions

"Balzac[was]themasterunequalledintheartofpaintinghumanityasitexistsinmodernsociety,"wroteGeorgeSand."Hesearchedanddaredeverything."Writtenbetween1837and1843,LostIllusionsreveals,perhapsbetterthananyotherofBalzac'sninety-twonovels,thenatureandscopeofhisgenius.ThestoryofLucienChardon,ayoungpoetfromAngoulêmewhotriesdesperatelytomakeanameforhimselfinParis,isabrilliantlyrealisticandboldlysatiricalportraitofprovincialmannersandaristocraticlife.Handsomeandambitiousbutna?ve,LucienispatronizedbythebeaumondeasrepresentedbyMadamedeBargetonandhercousin,theformidableMarquised'Espard,onlytobedupedbythem.Deniedthesocialrankhethoughtwouldbehis,Luciendiscardshispoeticaspirationsandturnstohackjournalism;hisdescentintoParisianlowlifeultimatelyleadstohisowndeath."Balzacwasbothagreedychildandanindefatigableobserverofagreedyage,atonceafantasticandagenius,yetpossessingasimplecoreofcommonsense,"notedV.S.Pritchett,oneofhisseveralbiographers.Another,AndréMaurois,concluded:"Balzacwasbyturnsasaint,acriminal,anhonestjudge,acorruptjudge,aminister,afob,aharlot,aduchess,andalwaysagenius."ThisModernLibraryeditionpresentsthetranslationbyKathleenRaine.--Thistextreferstoanoutofprintorunavailableeditionofthistitle.