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La Comédie Humaine #46
A Man Of Business
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1844
15 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Honoré de Balzac
9,676 books4,453 followersFrench 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 26, 2024
Prima informație interesantă pe care o află cititorul din această povestire publicată de Balzac în 1844 este etimologia termenului de loretă, acea femeie ale cărei moravuri sunt extrem de diluate: "loreta a trecut prin toate clasele sociale, chiar şi în aceea în care nu va intra niciodată o loretă. Termenul n-a fost creat decât în 1840 şi se datorează, fără îndoială, îngrămădirii acelor cuiburi de turturele în jurul bisericii Notre-Dame de Lorette".
Din fericire, nu este singura informație relevantă; imediat ce Balzac trece în revistă viața fetelor ce nu au altă avere în afară de propria frumusețe și a căror ocupație principală este aceea de a-i face fericiți pe bărbații care nu-și găsesc fericirea la propriul domiciliu și au suficient de mulți bani pentru a-și permite să o caute în altă parte, scriitorul francez ne spune despre Chopin că era "înzestrat cu talentul de a imita oamenii", fapt care se va dovedi crucial în ansamblul povestirii. Mai exact spus, este vorba despre povestirea din povestire, în care se confruntă două caractere puternice: contele Maxime de Trailles, ce, "la vremea lui, a fost socotit drept cel mai destoinic, mai dibaci, mai şiret, mai priceput, mai cutezător, mai subtil, mai hotărât şi mai prevăzător dintre toţi piraţii cu mănuşi, cu cabrioletă şi cu purtări alese care au navigat, navighează şi vor naviga pe apele vijelioase ale Parisului" și Claparon, fost om de paie al bancherului du Tillet. Cine va învinge în această confruntare și mai ales cum rămâne să descopere fiecare cititor în parte. Lectură plăcută!
P.S. O altă informație atât interesantă, cât și amuzantă la care Balzac face referire este "sfertul de oră al lui Rabelais – momentul când trebuie să achiţi o notă de plată. Se zice că Rabelais, aflându-se la Lyon şi neavând cu ce să-şi plătească hangiul, a lăsat la vedere în camera sa mai multe pacheţele pe care scria: otravă pentru rege, otravă pentru regină, otravă pentru prinţul moştenitor; hangiul, speriat, a chemat jandarmeria, care l-a dus pe sus (şi pe gratis) pe scriitor la Paris; acolo Rabelais i-a povestit păţania sa regelui, care a făcut mult haz (Nota îi aparține Theodosiei Ioachimescu).
Din fericire, nu este singura informație relevantă; imediat ce Balzac trece în revistă viața fetelor ce nu au altă avere în afară de propria frumusețe și a căror ocupație principală este aceea de a-i face fericiți pe bărbații care nu-și găsesc fericirea la propriul domiciliu și au suficient de mulți bani pentru a-și permite să o caute în altă parte, scriitorul francez ne spune despre Chopin că era "înzestrat cu talentul de a imita oamenii", fapt care se va dovedi crucial în ansamblul povestirii. Mai exact spus, este vorba despre povestirea din povestire, în care se confruntă două caractere puternice: contele Maxime de Trailles, ce, "la vremea lui, a fost socotit drept cel mai destoinic, mai dibaci, mai şiret, mai priceput, mai cutezător, mai subtil, mai hotărât şi mai prevăzător dintre toţi piraţii cu mănuşi, cu cabrioletă şi cu purtări alese care au navigat, navighează şi vor naviga pe apele vijelioase ale Parisului" și Claparon, fost om de paie al bancherului du Tillet. Cine va învinge în această confruntare și mai ales cum rămâne să descopere fiecare cititor în parte. Lectură plăcută!
P.S. O altă informație atât interesantă, cât și amuzantă la care Balzac face referire este "sfertul de oră al lui Rabelais – momentul când trebuie să achiţi o notă de plată. Se zice că Rabelais, aflându-se la Lyon şi neavând cu ce să-şi plătească hangiul, a lăsat la vedere în camera sa mai multe pacheţele pe care scria: otravă pentru rege, otravă pentru regină, otravă pentru prinţul moştenitor; hangiul, speriat, a chemat jandarmeria, care l-a dus pe sus (şi pe gratis) pe scriitor la Paris; acolo Rabelais i-a povestit păţania sa regelui, care a făcut mult haz (Nota îi aparține Theodosiei Ioachimescu).
June 26, 2019
A short story requires a very short review/comment. I love Balzac, and if you don't or haven't tried him, this isn't the place to start. If I were to reading him straight through, I would have been in a better position to remember many of the characters referenced in this one. I did recognize several, but freely admit that the context was mostly lost. Balzac assumes you do remember, or are at least familiar with the characters. He might have done better just telling the story, rather than reminding the reader there are things he should recall.
The other thing to know is that the rich in Paris weren't necessarily as rich as their lifestyles seemed to have them. Many lived on credit entirely. Balzac himself wasn't very careful with money and probably knew the ins and outs of signing notes and having creditors call for payment. Maxime de Trailles was adept at sidestepping payment. And this is the business in The Man of Business. Who wins the game?
The other thing to know is that the rich in Paris weren't necessarily as rich as their lifestyles seemed to have them. Many lived on credit entirely. Balzac himself wasn't very careful with money and probably knew the ins and outs of signing notes and having creditors call for payment. Maxime de Trailles was adept at sidestepping payment. And this is the business in The Man of Business. Who wins the game?
February 17, 2025
Wieder eine Art Seitenstück, in dessen Verlauf, der mit allen Wassern gewaschene Anwalt Desroches eine Anekdote erzählt, wie sich die beiden Schufte Maxime de Trailles (Vater Goriot ff) und Cérizet (Verlorene Illusionen, Die Kleinbürger) ein Duell mit den Waffen ihres Witzes geliefert haben. Da die Lebedame Malaga (Die imaginäre Geliebte) auf den Sieger gewettet hat, kann sie vom Gewinn (100 Francs) ihre Hutrechnung bezahlen. Hüte und Handschuhe sind bei Balzac immer der Indikator, ob jemand wirklich flüssig ist oder nur Kredit hat.
September 5, 2014
This is not a review: it's a summary of this very short story so that I can remember who the characters are (because Balzac recycles them in different stories. However did he manage to remember them all, and what they had done in his previous stories??!)
Anyway, this is another of Balzac's stories set around a dinner table. This time it is Cardot (a notary) and his mistress Malaga. They make witty conversation about how debts are rarely paid by the wealthy; in fact, if a milliner hassles about money that's owed, the tactic is to order another hat.
It's bit confusing. Desroches tells a story about Maxime de Trailes' affair with Cerizet and how she fooled him into paying a debt. (Maxime was a character in Pere Goriot: he was the lover of Goriot's daughter Anastasie, and it was on his behalf that she beggared her father - to help pay his debts. In other words Maxime is a serial debtor.)
The comedy of the story hinges on the debt-collector buying the debt for much less than it is worth and then attempting to recover its real value for himself. Cerizet (on the debt-collector's behalf) tricks Maxime (whose mistress is Antonia Chocardelle) into paying the real value of the debt. So for once the debtor paid up.
Anyway, this is another of Balzac's stories set around a dinner table. This time it is Cardot (a notary) and his mistress Malaga. They make witty conversation about how debts are rarely paid by the wealthy; in fact, if a milliner hassles about money that's owed, the tactic is to order another hat.
It's bit confusing. Desroches tells a story about Maxime de Trailes' affair with Cerizet and how she fooled him into paying a debt. (Maxime was a character in Pere Goriot: he was the lover of Goriot's daughter Anastasie, and it was on his behalf that she beggared her father - to help pay his debts. In other words Maxime is a serial debtor.)
The comedy of the story hinges on the debt-collector buying the debt for much less than it is worth and then attempting to recover its real value for himself. Cerizet (on the debt-collector's behalf) tricks Maxime (whose mistress is Antonia Chocardelle) into paying the real value of the debt. So for once the debtor paid up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
April 13, 2023Read next round two
January 12, 2025
I understood it’s about a debtor and a creditor and an innovative way the debt was recovered - but that was about the extent of my understanding
Sometimes short books aren’t the best strat
Sometimes short books aren’t the best strat
June 28, 2010
Another of Balzac's "conversations," this time involving a large spectrum of characters in The Human Comedy. In fact, there are so many connections to characters external to the story that unless one has read all the stories and has a capacious memory for hundreds of characters, one is at sea. I could imagine a doctoral dissertation in just on putting together all the pieces.
In addition, Balzac deals in this story with the fine art of collecting debts as it was practiced (as a virtual art form) in the Paris in the 1830s. If I was not at sea from all the characters, I was certainly confounded by the details of the attempt to collect moneys from Maxime de Trailles.
In addition, Balzac deals in this story with the fine art of collecting debts as it was practiced (as a virtual art form) in the Paris in the 1830s. If I was not at sea from all the characters, I was certainly confounded by the details of the attempt to collect moneys from Maxime de Trailles.
July 27, 2020
Romance and finance - and social climbing. A very slight tale. An anecdote really. As usual, the financial machinations are impenetrable
December 18, 2020
Very short, very Balzac, one for the aficionados since it references so many of his recurring characters.
January 28, 2022
Comment dépenser l’argent qu’on n’a pas…
June 18, 2024
A good novella / short story (it falls somewhere between the two). Balzac is not always at his best in this format. The stories can appear a little rushed. This is a moderate example of this.
July 11, 2024
No es este el tipo de relato que más disfruto de Balzac. Prefiero los que tienen una historia mas que estos que me resultan simplemente descriptivos.
July 18, 2025
Petite nouvelle moins profonde que les autres de Balzac
December 5, 2016
A good, cynical book about how business, men in power, and the world can be. I like the twists in the tale, and the satisfying conclusion.
A satisfying short story.
A satisfying short story.
July 5, 2021
A short story that ends with a twist of wit.
I did not read this edition but from a Delphi collection of his work which included the below.
"First published as Les Roueries d’un créancier in 1845, the title was adjusted to the present Un homme d’affaires in the following year. The short story concerns the notary Cardot, who is hosting an evening at the home of his beloved Malaga. The conversations are entertaining at these dinners where wives are never present. After dinner, when the talk turns to debts and the collection of same, Desroches relates the story of the affair between Maxime de Trailles and Cerizet. "
💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢 spoiler alert💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢
Cerizet looks to collect on a debt of Maxime by planning on advance with the help of Hortense.
A discussion of debts and gentlemen are discussed by a group of trouble makers. Maxime de Trailles thinks he can out smart any creditor until Cerizet who had disguised himself and with the help of Lord Dudley's Hortense had her home with Trailles' goods as a way to pay.
I was wanting Maxime to win out over Cerizet and after reading and remembering what Cerizet did to David Sechard, Lucien's brother in law, I was disappointed that Cerizet prevailed here, not that Maxime is any one to cheer for in the least.
"CERIZET, orphan from the Foundling Hospital, Paris; born in 1802; an apprentice of the celebrated printers Didot, at whose office he was noticed by David Sechard, who took him to Angouleme and employed him in his own shop, where Cerizet performed triple duties of form-maker, compositor and proof-reader. Presently he betrayed his master, and by leaguing with the Cointet Brothers, rivals of David Sechard, he obtained possession of his property"
I did not read this edition but from a Delphi collection of his work which included the below.
"First published as Les Roueries d’un créancier in 1845, the title was adjusted to the present Un homme d’affaires in the following year. The short story concerns the notary Cardot, who is hosting an evening at the home of his beloved Malaga. The conversations are entertaining at these dinners where wives are never present. After dinner, when the talk turns to debts and the collection of same, Desroches relates the story of the affair between Maxime de Trailles and Cerizet. "
💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢 spoiler alert💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢
Cerizet looks to collect on a debt of Maxime by planning on advance with the help of Hortense.
A discussion of debts and gentlemen are discussed by a group of trouble makers. Maxime de Trailles thinks he can out smart any creditor until Cerizet who had disguised himself and with the help of Lord Dudley's Hortense had her home with Trailles' goods as a way to pay.
I was wanting Maxime to win out over Cerizet and after reading and remembering what Cerizet did to David Sechard, Lucien's brother in law, I was disappointed that Cerizet prevailed here, not that Maxime is any one to cheer for in the least.
"CERIZET, orphan from the Foundling Hospital, Paris; born in 1802; an apprentice of the celebrated printers Didot, at whose office he was noticed by David Sechard, who took him to Angouleme and employed him in his own shop, where Cerizet performed triple duties of form-maker, compositor and proof-reader. Presently he betrayed his master, and by leaguing with the Cointet Brothers, rivals of David Sechard, he obtained possession of his property"
December 16, 2024
I didn’t found it interesting. This is my first encounter with Balzac’s works and most probably the last one.
March 29, 2018
Esse conto publicado em 1845 abre o volume 11 da CH, fazendo parte de Estudos de Costumes - Cenas da Vida Parisiense.
A narrativa é contada como uma espécie de anedota tratando de uma dívida envolvendo dois velhacos, sendo um o credor e outro o devedor. Cada promete a si mesmo: um de não pagar, o outro de receber a dívida e teremos um desafio, um embate a ser vencido.
Curioso, especialmente ao nos lembrarmos que Balzac foi um grande endividado e morreu assim.
Histórico de leitura
21/03/2018
"Lorette é um nome decente inventado para exprimir o estado de uma rapariga ou a rapariga de um estado difícil de ser dito, e que, no seu pudor, a Academia Francesa se descuidou de definir, em vista da idade de seus 40 membros."
A narrativa é contada como uma espécie de anedota tratando de uma dívida envolvendo dois velhacos, sendo um o credor e outro o devedor. Cada promete a si mesmo: um de não pagar, o outro de receber a dívida e teremos um desafio, um embate a ser vencido.
Curioso, especialmente ao nos lembrarmos que Balzac foi um grande endividado e morreu assim.
Histórico de leitura
21/03/2018
"Lorette é um nome decente inventado para exprimir o estado de uma rapariga ou a rapariga de um estado difícil de ser dito, e que, no seu pudor, a Academia Francesa se descuidou de definir, em vista da idade de seus 40 membros."
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews