La Bourse by Honoré de Balzac


La BourseLa Bourse by Honoré de Balzac

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was published in 1832 by Mame-Delaunay as one of the Scènes de la vie privée in La Comédie humaine. In some editions in 1835, this work was placed among the Scènes de la vie parisienne . Later on, it was restored to the Scènes de la vie privée.

From Wikipedia:
The young painter Hippolyte Schinner falls from a step-ladder while working in his atelier and is knocked unconscious. The noise of his fall alerts two of his neighbours, Adélaïde Leseigneur and her mother Madame de Rouville, who occupy the apartment immediately below. The two women revive the young man and an acquaintance is struck up. Inevitably, the young painter falls in love with Adélaïde and over the following weeks he pays frequent visits to her apartment.

Illustration of Honoré de Balzac's The Purse (...

Illustration of Honoré de Balzac’s The Purse (1830). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The English version can be found at The Purse by Honoré de Balzac.

The original French text at Wikisource.

And the audio version in French at Literature audio.com.