BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) French Novelist and Playwright. Best known for his masterwork novel La Comedie ...

BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) French Novelist and Playwright. Best known for his masterwork novel La Comedie Humaine, a multi-novel collection of novels written over twenty years. A very fine A.L.S., `Honoré´, two pages, 8vo, n.p., 27th November 1835, to his brother `Monsieur Henri de Balzac - aux Andelys´, in French. Balzac sends an interesting content letter to his brother, stating in part `Mon cher Henry, je souhaite bien vivement que le parti que tu prends te soit profitable, et je crois que ta femme s´en trouvera particulièrement très bien; ne t´étonne pas soit de la brièveté, soit de la rareté de mes lettres, parce que mon temps appartient à d´immenses intérêts et que ces intérêts regardant des personnes qui me sont chères; je travaille jour et nuit afin d´acquitter les obligations dont je suis charg酴 (Translation: `My dear Henry, I sincerely hope that the decision you are taking will be profitable to you, and I believe that your wife will be particularly well off; do not be surprised either by the brevity or by the rarity of my letters, because my time belongs to immense interests and that these interests concern people who are dear to me; I work day and night in order to discharge the obligations with which I am charged...´) Further Balzac states `J´espère que, si le hazard voulait que ton voyage aux Indes ne fut pas aussi profitable que nous le croyons, tu nous trouveras plus heureux à ton retour que nous ne le sommes en ce moment´ (Translation: `I hope that, if by chance your trip to India was not as profitable as we believe, you will find us happier on your return than we are now´) referring to his brother´s departure to the isle of Mauritius, his second travel to Mauritius where he got married with a woman Honoré did not like, as he expressed in 1834 to Madame Hanska `…le retour de mon frère, qui est arrive des Indes avec une femme (fallait-il faire cinq mille lieues pour trouver une femme comme cela!)´ (Translation: `…the return of my brother, who arrived from India with a wife (did you have to travel five thousand leagues to find a wife like that!) Henri never returned this time. Further again, Balzac referring to his nephew Honoré, and because he will be the godfather, says `J´accomplirai la promesse que je t´ai faite… Mais il faudra bien déterminer le jour car je suis dans un courant d´affaire et d´occupations qui est vraiment étourdissant…´ (Translation: `I will fulfill the promise I made to you… But the day will have to be determined because I am in a current of business and occupations which is really dizzying…´) Before concluding, Balzac refers to his mother and states in part `Ma mère qui, je pense, est auprès de vous, ne m´a rien dit, mais dis-lui que tu as été plus heureux que nous en l´ayant près de toi. J´ai passé toute la journée à travailler …´ (Translation: `My mother, who I think is with you, didn't say anything to me, but tell her that you were happier than us having her near you. I spent the whole day working…´) Balzac mentions few times the hard work he is facing, as he was working and completing in 1835 several important works such as Le Père Goriot, Le Contrat de Mariage, Le Lys dans la Vallée, etc… With blank integral leaf. Accompanied by the original envelope, being a folded sheet, bearing two partial red wax seals and three postmarks. Small overall age wear and creasing with few very small pinholes traces, otherwise G Henri de Balzac (1807-1858) Younger and only brother of Honoré de Balzac who was persuaded that he was in fact his half-brother, son of M. de Margonne who was his mother´s lover.