Paris Travelogue] (6) Tour of Places Associated with Balzac in Paris: Boulogne Forest, Balzac's House, and Pere Rachaise Cemetery
Now, in my previous article I talked about Napoleon's tomb, and in this article I would like to introduce the places associated with Balzac, who was strongly influenced by Napoleon.
Balzac dreamed of Napoleonic success so much that his motto was, "What he began with the sword, I shall accomplish with the pen." Balzac dreamed of Napoleonic success, so much so that his motto was, "What he began with the sword, I shall accomplish with the pen. He wanted more than anything else to rise to the top through his own genius, and his life was a true testament to the fact that "fiction is stranger than reality.
To learn more about his life, I recommend the biography "Balzac" by Stefan Zweig. His life is too dynamic to be described in this work.
In order to make a name for himself in French society, he took out huge debts and made huge investments as soon as he thought he had a good business idea, but he soon failed. In order to pay off his debts, he writes novels, sometimes with almost no sleep, forcing his brain to wake up with his special thick coffee and writing for weeks on end....
There are countless other episodes, all of which are astounding.
Perhaps he is a man with a personality even more outlandish than Dostoevsky's.
Balzac's masterpiece is, after allOld Gorio."It is.
And its sequel, theDisillusioned."The first thing I would like to do is to walk through the Boulogne Forest, which also appears in these works.
Boulogne Woods is located on the west side of Paris. It is a large park that stretches over an area near the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
From the road outside the park, it no longer looks like a lush green park, but more like a forest. It is indeed called the Boulogne Forest.
Inside, walking paths are well maintained, allowing visitors to enjoy the lush green air while taking a stroll.
Further on, the atmosphere finally becomes like walking through a forest.
Beyond that was a pond, which was another wonderful place to relax and feel peaceful and relaxed.
Due to time constraints, I was only able to walk a small portion of the Boulogne Forest. The famous Longchamp racecourse and Roland Garros, where the French Open tennis tournament is held, are also located here. The Longchamp racecourse is the site of Zola'sNana."I was very eager to visit this place, but I gave up in tears.
The women of the upper classes rode through the Boulogne Forest and the Champs-Elysées in horse-drawn carriages. Rastignac, the protagonist of "Grandpa Goriot," aimed at these glittering women to make his way up the ladder. This is a scene from the glittering world of Parisian society in the first half of the 19th century.
This is discussed in the book by French literature scholar Shigeru KashimaI want to buy a carriage!"andTomorrow is the Ball.The world of Parisian society is often viewed with admiration, but I believe you will be surprised to learn that the world is much more raw than you might imagine. We tend to look at the social world of Paris with admiration, but you will be surprised to find that the world is much more vivid than you imagine, and that the world of the weak and the strong is a terrible place to live in. It is a very stimulating work, and I hope you will read it together with "Grandpa Gorio.
Now, after the Boulogne Forest, we headed to Balzac's house. It is within walking distance from the Boulogne Forest.
The entrance is quite simple. After entering and going down the stairs, you will find the house where Balzac actually lived.
This is the Balzac house. It looks like a one-story, single-story house, but this is the top floor of the building.
The area has many steep slopes, and the buildings are built along the slopes, which is why these irregular entrances were made. The house is now used as Balzac's museum.
Once inside, visitors are greeted by commentary on Balzac's life and various Balzac statues.
And speaking of Balzac, this is what it's all about. A custom-made walking stick. Balzac, who was eager to join the social circles of the upper class, was extremely fashion-conscious. This custom-made walking stick was the one thing that Balzac paid special attention to.
It seems unbalanced that Balzac, who was stocky and extremely masculine, loved to use such a cute walking stick. At the time, there were many satirical drawings of Balzac, and this walking stick was usually the center of attention.
Looking at it up close, you can see that it is quite delicately made. Looking at it this way, it seems quite stylish. It is good that the entire stick is not decorated with a lot of fancy details, but is rather made in a casual manner. Although Balzac had many enemies and detractors, which is why he was ridiculed so much, I personally think that the stick itself is quite stylish.
And what can I say? Balzac was famous for his love of extra-strength coffee and for staying up all night writing like a demon. Perhaps this extraordinary amount of coffee also had a great influence on his death. As a coffee lover, Balzac's love of coffee is something I cannot overlook. Seeing Balzac's favorite coffee pod was the most pleasant moment in this museum.
Further on, I found Balzac's study. The simple desk and chair against the window were very cool. It was truly the power of a great writer.
His manuscripts were displayed on the desk. In another exhibition room, a number of his manuscripts were on display, and I have arranged them on the right.
Balzac was famous for demanding proofreading over and over again when publishing his manuscripts. Moreover, he often quarreled with publishers because of the huge amount of proofs he had to make and the number of times he had to repeat them. The photo above may give you an idea of the atmosphere of his work.
Now that we have visited the Boulogne Forest and Balzac's house, let us conclude with the Pere Lascheuse cemetery, where Balzac's grave is located.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery is famous for the many famous people buried there, but it is a large cemetery! And the paths are difficult to find. Without a guide, I would have had a hard time getting to Balzac's grave.
Perhaps it is because there are many graves of venerable families, but wherever you look, the graves are magnificent.
There are quite a few hills and stairs, so walking requires stamina.
Arrive at Balzac's tomb. I was surprised at the smaller size than I expected. The other tombs are so huge that my senses seem to have been deranged.
After Zola, Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Napoleon, we were able to visit Balzac's grave.
And there is one more loved one resting in this Pere Lachaise cemetery.
itLes Miserables.He is Jean Valjean, the protagonist of the
Jean Valjean was buried quietly somewhere in this cemetery. As I have mentioned, I love "Les Miserables. The beloved hero, Jean Valjean, is buried in the Pere Rachaise cemetery.
Of course, that's a fiction story, a fiction. But for me, this place is still important. Jean Valjean is definitely here somewhere. I paid my respects to Jean Valjean and left this cemetery.
be unbroken
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