Written in 1833,

was, and remains, one of the defining achievements of Balzac’s career. The first chapter of the novel, “Physionomies bourgeoises”, was published in a weekly review,

, under the title

, on 19 September 1833. At the same time, readers were promised a second instalment, “Le Cousin de Paris”, and this had already been typeset when Balzac announced unexpectedly that the serialisation was to be interrupted. Three days later, on 22 September, he left Paris for Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and a first meeting with Eveline Hanska, the Polish countess whose affections he courted, mainly by correspondence, for the next sixteen years. By the time he returned to his desk in October, Balzac’s…

2777 words

Citation: Watts, Andrew. "Eugénie Grandet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5279, accessed 22 November 2024.]