History of the Thirteen

by Honoré de Balzac

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Genres: Classics, Fiction, France, French Literature, 19th Century, Short Stories, Novels

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1833

About the author

French writer Honoré de Balzac (born Honoré Balzac), a founder of the realist school of fiction, portrayed the panorama of society in a body of works, known collectively as La comédie humaine .

Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.

Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.

An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.

Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

19th Century French Superheroes Avoid Kryptonite!

Nothing can stop these guys, even if they can’t leap tall buildings at a single bound!
Whoa, dude! Balzac anticipated American comics and TV by about a century, but his imagination was far less technological. I mean, no batmobiles, no spider DNA, and no single power-engendering words (shazam anyone?) But the band of brothers, thirteen in all, can achieve anything, have unlimited financial resources, connections in high places, and murder is child’s play for them. They are neither politically or socially correct. Balzac’s romantic writing spirals out of control in this book, in my humble opinion, along with his love of pontificating at length on every aspect of Parisian society and human nature. It’s a Peking duck kind of novel. That is, it’s rich, but it might not be that easy to digest. The History is divided into three discrete stories linked only by references to the secret group of heroes about whom we learn almost nothing in fact.
The first, “Ferragus: Chief of the Companions of Duty”, has a highly convoluted plot involving the secrets of a beautiful woman and the morbid jealousy of a would-be lover. In this section the band of brothers reveal their awesome powers to intervene almost anywhere. Well, maybe not Arkansas.

In the second, “The Duchess of Langeais”, one of the brothers gets involved in a passionate but ill-fated love affair. Five years after the unlucky denouement of their platonic trysts which led to her disappearance into a Spanish convent, Armand de Montriveau finally locates her. His twelve mates come to rescue the fair maiden with all the panache and know-how of true superheroes. The result is what you’ll find out by reading the book.

The third, “The Girl with the Golden Eyes”, is one of the earliest lesbian love stories I’ve ever seen. It is quite thin, however, filled out with lots of Balzac’s social analysis and bits and pieces of other ideas that occurred to him, no doubt on sleepless nights or in his cups. The lesbian part consists of one sentence. The ending just staggers across the finish line.

All in all, the book drags here and there, and contains brilliant writing right after that. If you’ve read the great novels by Balzac---for example, “Lost Illusions”, “Eugenie Grandet”, “Pere Goriot”, “Colonel Chabert”, or “Cousin Bette”, you might enjoy this one, but if you are just beginning, probably it would be better to pick another one because at times you may feel the presence of kryptonite!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balzac does like to pad his stories. These three short stories are about a secret society of thirteen Parisian crooks who are superb at everything they do. Balzac was obsessed with secret societies and even started his own which ended up being a dinner club.

The first story is Ferragus the head of the society. The story is about misunderstanding between a loving couple Jules and Clemence. She secretly sees her father Ferragus an escaped criminal and is seen. Her husband misinterprets the liaison as her having an affair leading to his wife’s death essentially from guilt?

The second story The Duchess of Langeasis is drawn on an affair Balzac had which was not consummated. In the story a soldier returns from Africa and falls in love with the Duchess who initially sees him as another fool to have in her power. She is a coquette and Armand realizes he has been played as a fool and wants revenge. She then falls in love with him but he refuses to reciprocate and then when he changes his mind it is too late. She becomes a nun and goes to a convent on Majorca. Armand eventually finds her and with the 13 tries to kidnap her but is to late as she has died when they find her. All a bit over the top but entertaining.

The Girl with the Golden Eyes is about s member of the 13 seducing a woman who turns out to be the lover of his sister. His sister murders her snd heads off to a nunnery. De Marsay the protagonist is a member of the 13 and s thoroughly horrible human being. Vain, egotistical and a narcissist.

These stories developed as the first stages of the Human Comedy. Balzac’s great works.

[Kuszma · Rating 3 out of 5]

E könyvet forgatva sokszor felmerült bennem a kérdés, hogy ugyan miért is olvasok én Balzacot? (Azon túl, hogy Emma lányom választotta ki a három elé tett francia szerző közül, azzal az indoklással, hogy „selymes a tapintása”. Köszönöm neked, Világirodalom Remekei-sorozat, a selymes borítókat!) Merthogy mit is csinál Balzac? Egyrészt ha meglát egy szépasszonyt, egy koldust, egy biciklis futárt vagy akár egy utcát, rögtön elkezdi meghatározni, mégpedig nemritkán 3-5 oldalas kacskaringós leírások segítségével. Ez persze érthető, ha figyelembe vesszük, hogy Balzac igazából nem regényeket írt, hanem típusokat gyűjtött, és ha eszébe jutott egy ilyen típus, akkor gyorsan definiálta, hogy aztán gombostűre tűzve besorolhassa (mint egy bogarat) a közel százezer korábban definiált típust tartalmazó gyűjteményébe. Másfelől Balzac még előszeretettel eszmefuttat is, ő a hosszú távú eszmefuttatás örökös bajnoka, aki (saját és olvasói) orrvérzésig képes taglalni a Restauráció-korabeli Franciaország politikai- és társadalmi viszonyait, mégpedig okosan, ugyanakkor bájosan időszerűtlenül, és a cselekmény szempontjából alapvetően irrelevánsan is. Ja igen, a cselekmény. Merthogy egy idő után azért írónknak eszébe jut, hogy cselekmény is van a világon*, és akkor robbanásszerűen beleteker a dolgokba. Ilyenkor elképesztő, hihetetlen, irreális eseményekkel csapja hókon az olvasót, például ezzel a Tizenhármak nevű titokzatos (szabadkőműves-jezsuita?) szervezettel**, akik elképesztő okkult erejükkel úgy uralják a tömegeket, hogy azok ezt észre sem veszik, és olyan dolgokat akarnak véghezvinni… hát, itt megakadtam kicsit, mert fogalmam sincs, mit akarnak véghezvinni. Talán azt akarják véghezvinni, hogy minél okkultabbnak és titokzatosabbnak látsszanak – no, ez bejött. Néha pedig bedob a regénybe valami elképesztően nagystílű, lovagias gonosz géniuszt is (e csoport vezetőjét), aki egyfelől HAJON ÁT FELSZÍVÓDÓ méreggel gyilkolja meg ellenfeleit, másfelől meg: ha szeret valakit, akkor meghalni is képes érte. És van romantika is, ami nagyjából abból áll, hogy két nemes, tiszta lélek a szó szoros értelmében ideglázban*** hemperegve biztosítja egymást szerelméről („Te olyan jó vagy! Nem vagyok méltó hozzád!” „Nem, én nem vagyok méltó hozzád, mert te vagy a jó!” „Nem, nem, én olyan rossz vagyok, legalábbis hozzád képest, aki jó, tehát nem lehetek méltó hozzád,ilyet viccből se mondj…” etc., etc.), amit valamiért nem képesek normális párkapcsolati szinten (bonbon, virág, járás, szex, házasság, stb.) kiélni. No, hát ezek vannak. Megmondom őszintén – gyakran iszonytatóan idegtépő. És mégis – van benne valami zsenialitás, és valami izgató elavultság is, mert igen, kifejezetten izgató, hogy Balzac mennyire másképp képzelte el az irodalmat, mint a XX-XXI. század. Az biztos, hogy manapság már senki nem ír úgy, mint ő. Ami nem biztos, az az, hogy ez kár.

Korrekció: olvastam én már Balzacot, mégpedig jó Balzacokat. Alapvetően (bár ez most se a pontozásból, sem az értékelésből nem látszik) szeretem az öreget. Mintha ez a könyv olyan sűrűségi fokon tartalmazná az író összes engem irritáló jellemzőjét, hogy azt már tényleg nem tudom tolerálni. De sebaj, most elolvastam egy Balzacot. Legközelebb meg elolvasok egy Jobbzacot. (Ehm-ehm.)

* Kivéve a középső kisregényben (Langeais hercegnő). Ott teljesen mellőzi a cselekményt – mert azt a szerelmi „húzd meg – ereszd el”-t, ami a szöveg gerincét képezi, nem vagyok hajlandó cselekménynek csúfolni.
** Elméletileg ez a titokzatos Tizenhármak szövetsége a közös szál a három kisregényben. (Elméletileg = gyakorlatilag nem.)
*** Biztos észrevettétek, hogy a korszak európai és orosz irodalmában milyen gyakran kapnak ideglázat (vagy valami hasonlót) a szereplők, ha valami trauma éri őket – elhagyja vagy megsérti őket valaki, erre ágynak esnek, oszt jóéjszakát, gyakran meg is halnak. Szívesen olvasnék valamit arról, hogy vajon ez a rejtélyes kór 1.) valami korabeli stresszbetegség 2.) eufemizmus az öngyilkosságra – hisz az egyházak valószínűleg nem nézték volna jó szemmel, hogy egyes szereplők egyszerre öngyilkosok ÉS közben pozitív figurák 3.) egyszerű lustaság, és azt jelzi, hogy az írónak nem volt kedve kidolgozni valami korrekt halálesetet (ablakból lepottyanó tízliteres befőttesüveg, lepra, kobratámadás, konnektorba nyúlás), de szerette volna drámaian lezárni a cselekményt.

[Jarvo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019 was to be the year of Project Balzac, an attempt to get at least knee deep, possibly waist deep into the human comedy. It nearly came to grief at the start of the second of the three novellas that make up this collection, an interminable and prolix account of the position of the aristocracy in Paris in the 1820's and 1830's. Frankly this was as poor a piece of writing as anything I've sign from a great writer, even allowing for the perils of translation.
But eventually I made it through the quagmire, and found enough to make the collection worthwhile. I tend to think of Balzac's writing being typified by three things:
- a desire to offer a sociological explanation of contemporary society, which doesn't always sit well in fiction, and in the case of these three stories features a little too much;
- an embodiment of these sociological concerns in dynamic stories, often about ambition, greed, desire and consumption. Balzac excels in the treatment of people caught up in a whirlwinf of sex, spectacle and fashion. Its present in these storie, but not quite enough;
- a tendency towards melodrama, often centred around criminal masterminds. This is not uninteresting, is picked up in things like Dumas' novels, and is destined to become a staple of popular culture. It just doesn't always sit well with realism,and hence is probably best comes in moderate doses, and the doses here are less than moderate.
Finally, there are three tales of 'amour' contained in these pages. At the end of each of which the woman dies. Someone should have had a word with the author...

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 4 out of 5]

La prima metà dell'Ottocento francese, teatro di contrasti politici e di trasformazioni sociali, offrì alla letteratura un' inesauribile fonte di ispirazione.

Sollecitato da questa particolare situazione nacque, e si affermò rapidamente in quegli anni, un nuovo genere di narrativa misteriosa, gialla, poliziesca addirittura e a volte macabra. Particolarmente interessato Balzac inventò, spiegando però di ispirarsi al vero, "La storia dei tredici". Sono tre racconti lunghi, o tre romanzi brevi, pubblicati in Italia insieme in questo tipo di raccolta oppure singolarmente.

I tredici sono individui d'eccezione, decisi a fare e ad avere tutto. Sono nemici della società, tuttavia detentori di un potere illimitato in ogni ambiente e a tutti i livelli ("un piede in tutti i salotti, una mano in tutte le cassaforte, la testa su tutti i guanciali e i gomiti per farsi largo nelle vie").

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The criminal as superman: Balzac's fascination with crime as the obverse of society and because the criminal epitomizes the shapeshifting of modernism. There's also a heavily gothic element to these stories. Balzac distinguishes his novellas from 'traditional' gothic because he is charting the physiognomy of Paris, his great subject. As always, Balzac tends to over describe. He is the epitome of thick description, sometimes to the narrative's detriment.

I would give Girl with the Golden Eyes 5 stars not for the gothic seduction story (incest too! but for the incredible preface which anatomizes the social structure of Paris, an essential document in the history of modernism.

[Karl H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The History of the Thirteen purports to be the story of a secret society- but in actuality its more of study of society and various types of love.
First, a note on the general nature of Balzac’s work: Balzac was an author with wide-ranging concerns. Balzac is at his best when he’s making observations about society and talking about Paris at large- the strata of society, the types of people living in it, how they interacted with each other. Some observations are very clever. One great line is when he says some streets are like mermaids- they have beautiful heads but their ends are very fishy. He’s very good at slotting people into society- of evoking muddling officials, coquettes, dangerous men, and everyone else you might encounter under the sun. What Balzac is best at is creating quick sketches of the world and how various people live in it and see it. Consequently, Balzac is at his best on tangents- when he decides to set aside the plot and do his own thing. One more general comment- his treatment of women is pretty standard for Victorian times, but still frustrating. There’s a double standard between the sexes where the men can be virtuous and great while sleeping with whomever they want, but the women who even flirt with a bunch of men deserve to go to hell. The men get off the hook, the women end up heartbroken and dead.
Ferragus was the first tale in the volume- a tale of a seemingly perfect wife, a husband who begins to have suspicions, and a third shadowy elderly figure. There is a bit of intrigue in the middle, but most of this story is just plain bad. The plot is melodramatic and easily predictable. The characters are not really fleshed out in any meaningful way. The end is at first utterly cliché, contrived and insipid and then oddly discordant and digressive. A parody of the Paris bureaucracy doesn’t really fit into this boilerplate story about jealousy.
The Duchesse de Langais is more interesting in terms of character and plot. A man who has explored the world and faced great dangers falls in love with a coquette, a flirtatious woman who plays with men’s hearts. The story explores the dangerous tug of war between the wills and hearts of those two. I’m of two minds when it comes to the treatment of women in this story. I can’t decide if the Duchesse’s sudden change of heart toward Armand is plausible given her character or if it is just a way for Balzac to dish out some poetic justice. Maybe it’s a bit of both.
Finally, the Girl With the Golden Eyes is easily the best of the lot. The beginning of this story is virtuosic- a summary of the people of Paris, their classes, their whims, their worries, their looks and fashions. This is a tremendous summary of the people of Paris, their motivations and their works. That so much is packed into such a short space is simply amazing. The rest of the story isn’t quite as strong- but it’s not bad. The middle is pretty good as well- invoking raw passion and sensuality and the twist ending is shocking and powerful.
This volume had three stories in it of wildly varying quality- some quite bad, others great. That makes rating this uneven collection tough. I’d like to give The Girl With Golden Eyes five stars and Ferragus one. Duchesse is probably three and a half stars so it averages out at about three.

[Armin]

Balzacs Die Geschichte der Dreizehn stand schon auf Platz zwei der zukünftigen Lektürevorhaben in der Comédie humaine, als Nesta Helen Websters Geschichte Verschwörungen der Trilogie einen zusätzlichen Motivationsschub verpasste. Ein krimineller Männerbund aus Angehörigen des Hochadels, die vor keiner Schandtat zurück schrecken, wenn ihre amourösen oder anderen Interessen davon berührt werden. Mit einigen der Helden weiterer Romane als Angehörigen des Bundes.

FERRAGUS 3*

Die ersten Seiten von Ferragus mit den Regeln der Vereinigung begann denn auch ziemlich viel versprechend. Ein hoffnungslos verliebter junger Offizier erspäht den makellosen Gegenstand seiner Verehrung in einer ziemlich anrüchigen Gegend und ahnt auf einmal Chancen, erregt tatsächlich aber nur unliebsames Aufsehen und wird mit einem ziemlich unrühmlichen Siechtum belohnt, da seine, ziemlich unangebrachte Neugier, die Interessen des Bundes der 13 verletzt hat.
Mehr als den Tod eines zum Türöffners herab gesunkenen Nebenfigur will ich hier nicht spoilern, es handelt sich in erster Linie um eine Erzählung um Vertrauen und dessen Verlust in einer vorher idealen Ehe.
Zur Stellung im Werk: Ferragus ist eine Art Vorlauf zu Jacques Collin, dem Napoleon der Galeeren, dem allmächtigen Ex-Sträfling, der am Ende Polizeipräsident wird, um seine dunklen Geschäfte um so unbehelligter betreiben zu können. Noch ist Vautrin (das reale Vorbild) im Amt und Ferragus, einst Präsident der 13 und dem Strafbetrieb entflohen, wird von sein Kumpeln mit allen Mitteln, einschließlich Giftanschlägen in allerbester Gesellschaft beschützt.
Balzac ist noch nicht auf dem Niveau von Vater Goriot oder Eugenie Grandet angelangt, tatsächlich hat die spätere Konkurrenz durch die Roman-Feuilleton-Größen Sué und Dumas auch einen besseren Autor aus ihm gemacht, wenn man Glanz und Elend de Kurtisanen als Folge betrachtet einer literarischen Aufholjagd betrachtet.

DIE HERZOGIN VON LANGEAIS *-*****

entzieht sich jedem klassischen Bewertungssystem, als Novelle ist das Ding, obwohl viel persönliches Herzblut vergossen wurde, ein absolut unerträglicher Schmarren, in dem der Bund der 13 als Entführungshelfer oder Erfüllungsgenossen keine allzu rühmliche Rolle spielen. Seinerzeit machte das Ding als Schlüsselroman über den Faubourg St. Germain und politische Analyse Furore, zumal es allerlei Spekulationen darüber gab, wie weit der Erfolgsautor bei der Marquise de Castries gekommen war. Für die deutsche Ohren gilt bei der Dame das Motto nomen est omen.
Balzacs alter Ego ist ein junger Kriegsheld und Forschungsreisender, der, auf der Suche nach den Quellen des Nils in Gefangenschaft geriet, sich aber selbst aus der Sklaverei im innersten Afrikas befreien konnte und nun in den Salons für Furore zeigt. Die Herzogin wurde als junge Schönheit standesgemäß verheiratet, weiß aber nicht, was Liebe ist und kann mit ihrem Gatten so wenig anfangen wie selbiger mit ihr. Doch die allseits angeschwärmte blonde Schönheit sieht in dem neuen Prachtexemplar von Salonlöwen einen reizenden Zeitvertreib. Ohne je die Absicht zu haben, sich etwas zu vergeben. Ein Dreivietteljahr lang findet sie jeden Abend andere Ausflüchte, ehe der weitaus erfahenere 13er-Kumpan Ronquerolles seinem unbeleckten Abenteurer-Genossen die Augen öffnet und meint die Herzogin täte mit dem Hirn das, was andere Frauen sonst mit dem spezifisch weiblichen Organ unternähmen. Wenn Armand nichts Grundsätzliches an seinem Verhalten ändern würde, könnte die Dame ihn unendlich lange zum Narren halten, ohne seinen Bedürfnissen als Mann auch nur einen Schritt entgegen zu kommen.
Also wird eine Entführung mitten aus einer Gesellschaft heraus in Gang gesetzt, bei der sich Armand zwar als Muster an Tugend erweist, sich aber als „Hausherr“ das Recht heraus nimmt, sich einmal so richtig Luft zu machen, ehe er die Herzogin wieder im Haus der Verwandten absetzt, wo sich der Kutscher indessen komplett besoffen hat.
Danach ist Antoinette höllisch in Armand verliebt, schreibt täglich Briefe, wartet allabendlich umsonst auf den Verehrer, der endlich seinen Hauptgewinn abholen soll. Die sonst so auf ihre Reputation bedachte Dame setzt sogar ihren Ruf aufs Spiel, lässt sogar ihre Kutsche vor seinem Haus stehen, um den Anschein zu erwecken, da wäre was, ehe der Familienrat einschreitet. Die Szene selbst mit den Hochadeligen und ihren Anschauungen aus der Vergangenheit ist herrlich, - der Rest der Novelle sackt schnell wieder ab.
Ein altes Relikt, das schon in Ferragus als Vertrauter des späteren Giftopfers fungierte, bedrängt Mister-Kalte-Schulter mit einem allerletzten Brief der Herzogin samt Ultimatum und Lesekontrolle. Doch als Armand seine Flamme allzu lange schmoren lässt, da seine Uhr falsch geht, dringt die Herzogin indessen in seine Wohnung ein, trifft an Stelle des Geliebten ihre 14 zuvor geschriebenen Briefe. Allesamt ungeöffnet, maximale narzisstische Verletzung, sie flüchtet unerkannt und lebt, erst einmal, unerkannt in einem Kloster auf Mallorca. Als das Heiratshindernis verstirbt, rüsten Armand und sein Männerbund eine Befreiungsmission aus, doch mehr als ein letztes Wiedersehen unter der Aufsicht von Frau Oberin kommt nicht dabei heraus, beim nächtlichen Einbruch ins Kloster bergen die Befreier nur noch eine Leiche, die, mit Kanonenkugeln beschwert, an die Haie verfüttert wird.
Immerhin, Armand ist kuriert, stellt Oberhaupt Ronquerolles erfreut fest.

Ein schlimmes Männerbund-Epos, das den Befürchtungen des bindungsunwilligen Titelheldin im Nachhinein noch Recht gibt. Als Geschlechterkampfepos gehört die Herzogin von Langeais eher schon in die Ahnengalerie von Jane Eyre, Antoinette beharrt, bis zum schlecht motivierten Gefühlsumschlag bei der Entführung, auf ihrer Unabhängigkeit, auch wegen der Ängste weggeworfen zu werden wie andere Damen der Gesellschaft, wenn andere Interessen oder Verpflichtungen der Herren wichtiger werden. Dabei nimmt sie Bezug auf Madame de Beauseant, der Verwandten des späteren 13ers Rastignac, deren Niederlage(n) mit männlichen Prachtexemplaren in Vater Goriot und die Verlassene thematisiert werden. Der Kontext des Zyklus wertet die Geschichte etwas auf, aber die Herzogin wäre mein letzter Balzac gewesen, hätte ich das Pech gehabt, zuerst darüber zu stolpern statt mit Junggesellenschwirtschaft anzufangen, deren Wiederlesen ich für die Geschichten der 13 zurückgestellt hatte.
Aber zurück zur Moral von der Geschichte oder meinem persönlichen Unbehagen. Natürlich habe ich auch ein paar wunderschöne Frauen kennen gelernt, die einen dauernd um sich haben wollten, sich aber jeglicher Annäherung entzogen. Um einem, am ersten Tag der Abwesenheit ein schlechtes Gewissen machen zu müssen. Ohne sonst etwas an den Regeln zu ändern.
Trotz alledem würde ich keiner ein Schicksal wie Antoinette de Langeais an den Hals wünschen, - nie vorhandenes oder zu spät erwachtes Interesse hin oder her. Von mir aus, es war eine Todsünde, dass die Herzogin den Kriegshelden und Forschungsreisenden nur als Spielzeug oder Trophäe ohne weitere Verpflichtungen behalten wollte. Balzac sollte ja so wenig aus dieser Rolle heraus kommen wie aus den Schulden. Er war zwar noch mit dem Vorbild für die Herzogin noch auf Reisen (Schweiz und Italien), als das nächste millionenschwere Phantom am Horizont erschien, um ihn 15 Jahre lang an der Nase heurmzuführen. Immerhin sollte ihn die ukrainische Gräfin Hanska ja heiraten, um das nicht mehr ganz so lohnenswerte Investment in einen berühmten Schriftsteller einsam sterben zu lassen. Darüber, ob der nächste Gatte, schon zu Lebzeiten Balzacs sein Tröstungswerk begonnen hat, streiten sich die Experten. Ich will mir in Sachen Vorfahrt kein Urteil anmaßen, halte die Beziehung für eine Fehlspekulation auf beiden Seiten.
Eine Natur wie Balzac konnte von keiner Frau erlöst werden. Immerhin sind im einige Meisterwerke gelungen, die zu recht als Klassiker gelten. Die Herzogin von Langeais gehört garantiert nicht dazu, sondern fungierte als Sprungbrett zu Pere Goriot und jenen Romanen, die das Herzstück oder Rückgrate der Comédie humaine gelten.

DAS MÄDCHEN MIT DEN GOLDAUGEN lese ich im Flieger zurück nach Paraguay. Anfang/Mitte Oktober. Bis dahin habe ich das Meiste vergessen, was mir über die ersten beiden Erzählungen aufs Gemüt drückt.

[Vygandas Ostrauskis · Rating 4 out of 5]

1833-1834 m. kūrinys, nepriskiriamas prie geriausių šio puikaus rašytojo romanų. Romantizmo jau senokai atsisakyta, dabar kūrybos credo – tikroviškumas. Tai pasiruošimo sukurti "Žmogiškąją komediją" (17 tomų!) metas.
Dar ne tas BALZAKAS, kurį žinome iš geriausių jo kūrinių.
Trys įdomios istorijos, parašytos puikiu stiliumi, netrūksta apmąstymų, psichologinių įžvalgų. Verta perskaityti.

[Tonymess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, has some highlights of human observation and some lowlights where Balzac just seems to have placed some text in there for no obvious reason. Pumping out that many books his characters can be blonde one page, dark haired the next but you’re not reading him for intricate details.
Less the story of the mysterious “thirteen” and more three tales of love, passion, desire & manipulation. A lot longer than 392 pages would imply.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balzac's got the goods.

[Ned · Rating 4 out of 5]

This three-in-one was fun for me. Each of the titles "Ferragus: Chief of the Companions of Duty", "The Duchesse De Langeais", and "The Girl with the Golden Eyes" give different views of French Parisian society in the 1820's.

Ferragus is an inside man who has access and means for escape to go and do just about anything. And in a city like Paris it doesn't take much imagination for a capable, discrete man of action with such knowledge and awareness to wreak a great deal of destruction there or, prevent a great number of disasters. Or to provide favors, and then withhold them, make introductions, deal justice, steal, kidnap, torture, borrow or bestow reputations and then, disappear.

Ferragus is a character that made things happen but one that usually wasn't seen as such an agent by most people. A character that very often is found acting like or very near a fulcrum of power. An agent then, a doer who exists on the periphery who then suddenly is found at the center of a turn of events. Because his methods are calculated outside of morality, anyone not on the inside game will have to be deceived or co-opted by whatever sure means.

Ferragus plays different roles in these three short novellas. His allegiance is to greater France but his loyalty is bound to a small number of actors in different sectors of society. Those trusted shadowy, spectral few who actually run things. Ferragus is an inside mover and shaker who makes things happen and always gets out of whatever trouble blows up near him, because of 'The Thirteen'. If such secret societies didn't exist they -like myths or religion - would have to be created.

The Duchess de Langeais is a noble lady in high regard in the court of the Bourbon branch that was eventually barred from rule or regency. This branch disastrously lost their bid and left Paris in 1830 to seek shelter and pity. Not her fault she went to a convent at the tip of Spain. But she had managed to almost fall for a capable general returned from the wars. But both he a soldier, and she, a Duchess (with vows for society to maintain), could not reach an unguarded vantage from which to trust the other one at the same time as the other. They were both too soon, and too late.

In The Girl With the Golden Eyes, Balzac begins with a fantastic, scorching prediction of bourgeois 'culture' and what for him must be its logical conclusions. Consider what might happen if society were solely based on what one could acquire in order to suit one's whimsical tastes of the day. And what if people were among what could be acquired, and what if they were very beautiful? Without scruples the objects d'art become throwaway trinkets, while disposable hired servants coerced through threats and promises become merely the means for acquisition. The disposable servant is poor and not pretty but local while the object of desire is foreign, desperate, and utterly dependent, but dazzlingly decked out. Do we eventually become what we value? If everything is acquirable don't the purchasers also become captured in such a market of cheapened worn out 'goods'? Some things shouldn't be for sale.

[Vittorio Ducoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'occhio spietato di un grande reazionario

Questo volume, piccolo tassello di quell'opera mastodontica che è la Comédie humaine, raccoglie tre romanzi brevi o racconti lunghi, reperibili anche singolarmente in varie edizioni.
Filo rosso che unisce i tre racconti sono i Dévorants, sorta di setta segreta operaia che riunisce uomini in grado di tramare contro il potere costituito e dotati di una assoluta solidarietà interna. In realtà i Dévorants compaiono molto marginalmente nelle storie, se si eccettua la prima (intitolata Ferragus).
Data per scontata la grandezza del narratore Balzac, che in questi tre racconti emerge appieno con storie piene di suspance e di colpi di scena, credo sia giusto evidenziare come questo trittico esalti la capacità dello scrittore di essere lo spietato osservatore della società francese del suo tempo e dei suoi mali.
Ciascun racconto contiene, in genere all'inizio, una sorta di prologo descrittivo del contesto in cui si svolgerà la storia. In Ferragus il prologo è dedicato alla Parigi fisica, alle sue strade, alle sue atmosfere: ne ho già parlato nella recensione al racconto. Ne La duchessa de Langeais, forse il racconto più bello, memorabili sono le pagine in cui il reazionario Balzac si scaglia contro il vuoto di valori in cui è caduta l'aristocrazia post-restaurazione, incapace di riassumere il ruolo di coagulo nazionale che le era proprio, rinchiusa nei propri riti sterili ed abdicante nei confronti della borghesia rampante. (Leggendo queste pagine, quante analogie si possono riscontrare con quello che storicamente è stata ed oggi ancora di più è l'infingarda borghesia nostrana.) Nell'ultimo racconto, La ragazza dagli occhi d'oro, veramente superlative sono le pagine iniziali dedicate ai vari strati della società parigina della prima metà del XIX secolo ed ai tipi che li rappresentano.
Al di là del fulgore delle storie, della maestria narrativa dell'autore, questo libro andrebbe letto solamente per tali poche pagine, che da sole ci fanno capire l'enormità dello sforzo intrapreso da Balzac nella sua totalizzante Comédie.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

To give this book the credit it deserves, read and project yourself back to the time in which it was written. And then, examine closely the statements that Balzac is making, many of which are so relevant today. Just as the writing of Thoreau has today's young readers gob-smacked at his relevance to present-day thought, Balzac's stories are teeth-grittingly reflective of today's world, particularly Paris. I loved this book despite the fact that it really skirts around paying off on its title. These mysterious superheroes have other lives in other of his books (at least 4 of them being named). Don't read the Introduction/Preface till you finish the book. Balzac and his editors/translators did not know how to attach 'Spoiler Alert' to their works. Read this as a child but now re-reading all the Balzacs in my library before donating to locals.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl with the Golden Eyes, 3.5, notes in reading progress.

Ferragus, 4.0, the opening pages on Parisian streets and intermittent bits on the lobster-like jointed monster of the city are up there with the zoological class-strata passage at the start of "Golden Eyes." Where these novellas are (only relatively) weak in characterization and plot, they make up for it with some of B's most memorable long view descriptions of society. If one were to cut-and-paste together an ideal abridged La Comedie humaine, it'd have to include a good chunk of those strong portions.

[Shakir Sharfraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen powerful men are part of a secret society above and beyond the law. This book is a collection of three short stories from "La Comedie Humaine".

[Myriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je ne suis pas sensible à l'écriture d'Honoré de Balzac.
Lu pour le lycée.

[Mackenzie England · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balzac wanted to explore society and the totality of knowledge; Balzac does. Here is at least part of the result. It’s magnificent; absolutely stunning

[Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these very loosely connected stories in anticipation of watching Jacques Rivette's massive film Out:one. Apparently the film is somehow based on this collection and I wanted to have as much ammunition as I could as I delve into the 12 hour film.

My reaction to this volume is the same as my reaction to the other Balzac I have read - sloppy writer, hastily constructed works, shoddy craftsmanship. I'll try some others but not too soon.

I know this will sound incredibly pompous but perhaps this had to be diminished in my view since I had just finished a year-long reading of all of Proust and what book, purporting to be an analysis of French society and the nature of love could possibly compare with that?

[Edita · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two kinds of poets: those who feel and those who express themselves. The former are happier.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Balzac, but to be honest this was really tedious. Ferragus was quite enjoyable but the other two stories were a real struggle to get through.

[Oana Mokesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nu credeam vreodată că voi ajunge să spun că mi-a plăcut o carte de Balzac. Toate celelalte opere ale sale, pe care le-am citit, le-am găsit insuportabile datorită descrierilor obositoare și analizei microscopice, specifice autorului. În Istoria celor treisprezece, stilul balzacian este redus la minim și astfel, romanul, pe care am avut onoarea de a-l citi într-o superbă ediție din 1969, a reușit să mă cucerească.
Din păcate, misoginismul lui Balzac este foarte vizibil. Modul lui de a privi femeile poate că era acceptat pe vremea autorului, dar e cam deplasat pentru secol nostru și lectura poate fi ușor neplăcută din acest punct de vedere.
Baronul de Maulincour și-a cam băgat nasul unde nu-i fierbea oala, dar tentativele de asasinat la adresa lui și sfârșitul bietului tânăr, le găsesc exagerate proporțional cu vina lui.
Doamna Jules e absurdă în toate privințele: îndârjirea cu care păzește secretul în fața soțului care are dovezi clare că este mințit și care, în mod absolut justificat, cere explicații, faptul că nici măcar nu-și întrerupe o perioadă ieșirile suspecte, pentru liniștea soțului ei, că doar nu era musai să-și vadă zilnic tatăl și ce să mai spun de moartea ei... Dacă oamenii ar putea muri din astfel de motive și cu atât de multă ușurință, Globul nu ar mai fi suprapopulat și ne-am îndrepta cu pași repezi spre extincție.
Capitolul Sora Therese îmi creează o stare de deja-vu, ba mai mult, am certitudinea că am văzut scenele acelea ecranizate, dacă nu întreaga poveste, măcar respectiva bucățică. Din păcate, nu-mi mai amintesc titlul filmului. Mă poate lumina cineva?
Povestea de dragoste dintre general și ducesă este un exemplu puternic de prostie și orgoliu din ambele părți... Putem vedea astfel de exemple și în prezent, în viața de zi cu zi.
Decizia lui Montriveau cu privire la trupul decedatei mi s-a părut josnică. Dacă nu mai era nimic, de ce a furato? De ce nu a lăsat-o în mănăstire unde călugărițele i-ar fi oferit un mormânt, modest, dar demn? Aruncarea ei în mare îmi pare o totală lipsă de respect și un gest de neconceput față de rămășițele unei persoane iubite.
Mi-a displăcut faptul că nu a fost prezentată o cauză a morții, chiar și numai parțial credibilă, ca a doamnei Jules.
Paquita ne este introdusă ca o femeie de foc, roșcată, pentru ca mai apoi să ni se spună că părul ei era blond cenușiu, dar când îl primește pe iubitul ei în budoar, poartă flori de portocal în părul negru... M-au amuzat proprietățile ei cameleonice.
Dintre toate, moartea Fetei cu ochii de aur îmi pare cea mai tragică, este singura care nu a fost iubită cu adevărat și singura care își dorea să trăiască, agățându-se de viață chiar și când călăul ei o împingea necruțător în brațele morții.
Deși titlul este Istoria celor treisprezece, cartea ne prezintă numai poveștile a trei dintre ei, ceea ce mă face să-mi doresc cu tărie să cunosc și secretele celorlalți zece.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading History of the Thirteen by Honore de Balzac. Before I turned 5 years old, my first pop culture obsession was Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. A favorite childhood scene was this one, when Harold Hill faces off with the ladies of River City, and they start to sing this cool-sounding (if misogynistic, especially in the film version with the terrible visual metaphor) little ditty. Hermione Gingold, possessor of one of the greatest speaking voices in history, owns the song with the two times she finalizes the list of dirty book authors by intoning, "Balzac" as if she was shutting down any argument in history.
Well, I'm 65 now, and I've finally read a book by what has to be the first author's name I ever memorized (probably even before Dr. Seuss). This book collects three Balzac novellas - Ferragus; The Duchesse de Langeais; and The Girl with the Golden Eyes. The three are very loosely linked by the existence of a super-secret pseudo-Masonic organization which can go to ridiculous extremes to protect lovers and other clandestine existences.
I am not overly familiar with French literature or even specifics of its history in the 19th Century. By 1835, when these novellas were written, France had undergone a Revolution, Napoleon, a restoration, Napoleon again, another monarchy, and I don't know what else. Balzac assumes knowledge of these events, as well as all the streets of Paris, not to mention the general class assumptions of the time. Each novella includes a long introductory section which was probably a satirical scream back in 1835, as Balzac tells us of all the ways in which different places and classes in Paris follow standard rules of behavior.
Ferragus is the least interesting albeit most eventful of the three. Here, a young man is besotted with a happily married woman who he spots visiting a very run-down and possibly illicit house. Every featured character in this story gets to have exaggerated and misguided reactions to all events, right down to the inability to have a body exhumed for cremation purposes.
The Duchesse de Langeais is about a woman who practices coquetry as a matter of course, only to lose everything when she falls in love for real. The Girl With the Golden Eyes is the dirtiest of the three novellas - there is actual, no question about it, illicit sex more than implied yet not exactly described. Lots of wild coincidences in this one, too.
Once each novella gets past the intro parts, I was very much entertained. Balzac acts as if he supports the norms of his day, but seems more interested in poking holes in behaviors which might seem romantic in the hands of a less cynical author. There are no heroes in these stories except the author himself.

[Jared Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think one of my favorite things about Balzac is that he dabbles in both Adventure, Romance, Historical fiction and Opinion within one tale. Case in point all three stories found within The History of the Thirteen.

The 'History of the Thirteen' is not so much a 'History' as it is three separate tales that include characters who are members of the Uber secret villainous thirteen club.

Each of the three stories revolves around a romance of sorts that develops into an adventure with a twist ending. To begin each Balzac loves to give the 'lay of the land' in his own long winded way and give both beautiful descriptions of the Paris of his times as well as opinions on different political developments or climates.

I think that's whats so engaging about these stories.1) they are basically adventure tales 2) but first we get a historical backdrop of Paris and French politics 3) the main driving force of each of these three tales is, as you would expect, a woman. Which I think helps the reader connect to the passion of our main characters but also allows for beautiful descriptions of high class society and womanly characteristics of the time. Proustian type romance that I realize now Proust just lifted from Balzac.

[Dovile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Šitie knygoje surinkti trys trumpi romanai yra tik priežastis autoriui pagražbyliauti įvairiomis temomis, o siužetai čia antraeiliai ir per daug melodramatiški. Pagrindiniai veikėjai neigiami, kai kurie jau pažįstami iš ankstesnių romanų Tėvas Gorijo ir Gobsekas, bet palyginti su šiom dviem knygom, "Trylikos istorija" prastesnė. Pirmosios dvi bent nors moralistinės, o šitoje pagrindiniai yra slaptos amoralių aukštuomenės vyrų draugijos nuotykiai.
Autorius, matyt, dar turėjo ir rimtą problemą su moterimis, nes visos iki šiol aprašytos jo veikėjos yra to paties šablono - silpnas, tuščias, ištvirkęs, išlaidus vyrų geismo objektas, kurio vienintelė paskirtis yra visiškai pasiaukoti ir pasiduoti vyrui.
Paskutinio apsakymo pabaiga neskoninga ir išvis nesuprantama - autorius kalba tokiomis užuominomis, kad neįmanoma suprasti veikėjų motyvų.
Jeigu ne kai kurie talentingi ir įdomūs to laikmečio Paryžiaus gyvenimo aprašymai, šiai knygai duočiau tik 1 žvaigždutę.

[Tiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balzac - autor lido por várias gerações e que ainda será lido por muitas outras devido a sua genialidade - traz neste livro três histórias de sua Comédia Humana. Em cada uma apresenta Paris com uma pena que mais parece uma câmera fotográfica ou uma filmadora: Adentra ruas, casas e quartos e retrata a lama, o perfume, os encantos e arrotos, o refinamento e o punhal assassino. Sua Paris é uma cidade em que beleza e feiúra compartilham o mesmo palco, são vizinhas e se conhecem, convivem juntas, hora elevando, hora degradando seus habitantes. Aqui o leitor encontrará personagens que ultrapassam suas histórias, que visitam outros romances e que neles podem se tornar protagonistas, todos ligados por vários enredos que se completam, mas que não são imprescindíveis para o entendimento e desfrute do leitor no momento em que passeia em um deles. Conheça as mulheres de Balzac: Mulheres fortes, românticas e que enlouquecem os homens. Aventure-se com Os Trezes Devoradores e seus membros fieis uns aos outros. Seres capazes de modificar eventos cujos nós parecem impossíveis de desatar. "História dos Trezes" lhe encantará e o deixará com sede e fome de mais cenas da vida de Paris do século XIX.

[Jeffrey Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the three novellas grouped together under the title, "The Story of the Thirteen," Balzac displays all his strengths and all his weaknesses. He imagines a band of thirteen brave outlaws, something like a "deep state," who do whatever they want. Along with fantastic plots connected with their exploits, he also presents long disquisitions only tangentially connected with the story he is telling about subjects such as the nature of Parisian "grisettes" (the dictionary defines them as young working class women), the failure of the French aristocracy (in comparison to the English aristocracy), and a pseudo-sociological (of course sociology didn't exist in Balzac's day) analysis of the classes of Parisian society. In all three of the novellas, beautiful young women die tragically, leaving heroic men devastated.
The more I read Balzac, the more I appreciate his protean nature, and the less I understand what he actually believed. There must be a study of his work entitled, "Balzac's Romantic Imagination."

[Tom Dusson · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'Histoire des Treize d'Honoré de Balzac est très prenante par le mystère des Treize qui font leur apparition de manière soudaine au fil du récit et souvent à la fin, quand la tension monte. Si la première nouvelle "Ferragus" m'a donné plus de fil à retordre dans son écriture et que son histoire ne m'a pas davantage marqué, j'ai été réellement transporté par "La Duchesse de Langeais" qui est pour moi presque un chef-d’œuvre. L'émancipation de la femme, la critique des mœurs, des rebondissements à vous laisser des sueurs dans le dos, et tout cela, achevé par une superbe fin. Bien que datant de 1834, cette nouvelle n'a rien à se reprocher en termes de suspens. Enfin, la construction des personnages est très intéressante dans "La Fille aux yeux d'or", et l'apparition des Treize y est toujours aussi mystérieuse qu'inattendue. À lire !

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a curate's egg, this one. In all three stories, lengthy discourses wreck the flow of melodramatic tales that are implausible and overly sympathetic to men who are controlling stalkers. However, they are enjoyable and there is both genuine pathos and humour. Homosexual themes (very daring for the time) are used without being the centre of the story or the main trope of the characterisation. In the Penguin edition, the short introduction assumes you have already read the book (so it's not an introduction!) and the annotations are too sparse (no translation of Latin, no explanation of what a novenna is or anything on the reference to "Trilby" characters who aren't from the George Du Maurier novel) .

[David Sterritt]

The premise of Balzac’s “History of the Thirteen,” that a sinister secret society is pulling strings and manipulating events behind the scenes of ordinary Parisian society, is more intriguing than a great deal of the action in the three novels – “Ferragus: Chief of the Companions of Duty,” “The Duchesse de Langeais,” and “The Girl with the Golden Eyes” – that tell of their activities. The writing reveals the strength of Balzac’s taste for “the mysterious and terrible,” to quote Herbert J. Hunt’s description at the start of his translation, but for me Walpole are even Radcliffe are no less persuasive in the gothic department. The middle novel inspired a pretty fine Rivette film, though, and the concluding one has some amusing passages. In all, mildly recommended.