Honoré de Balzac

French novelist and playwright (1799–1850)
Person human Q9711
Honoré de Balzac
Louis-Auguste Bisson · Public Domain · Wikimedia
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Honoré de Balzac, born on May 20, 1799, in Tours [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], was a French novelist, literary critic, prose writer, journalist, and art critic [20][14][16][17][21][22][18]. He studied at the University of Paris, Lycée Charlemagne, and Paris Law Faculty , contributing primarily to French literature, journalism, and literary criticism [23]. A central figure in literary realism , Balzac was influenced by Walter Scott and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon .

Balzac’s notable works include *Père Goriot*, *The Human Comedy*, *Illusions perdues*, *Eugénie Grandet*, *Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes*, and *La Peau de chagrin* . He served as president of the Société des gens de lettres from 1839 to 1840 [24] and was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honour [25]. His siblings included Laure Surville [22], and his father was Bernard-François Balzac [22].

He married Ewelina Hańska in 1850 [26][22] and died on August 18, 1850, in Paris from gangrene [27][2][3][4][14][16][17][28][20][18][19][22]. Balzac was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery [29].

Honoré de Balzac

Summary

Honoré de Balzac is a human[1]. Born in Tours[2], he… he was born on May 20, 1799[3]. He died in Paris[4]. He died on August 18, 1850[5]. He worked as a novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], and journalist[10]. He ranks in the top 0.57% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (17,600 views/month, #5,744 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in Tours[2], Honoré de Balzac…
  • Honoré de Balzac passed away in Paris[4].
  • Honoré de Balzac was born on May 20, 1799[3].
  • Honoré de Balzac was born on January 1, 1799[12].
  • Honoré de Balzac died on August 18, 1850[5].
  • Honoré de Balzac died on August 19, 1851[13].
  • Honoré de Balzac is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery[14].
  • Honoré de Balzac is buried at Grave of Balzac and Ewelina Hańska[15].
  • Honoré de Balzac's father was Bernard-François Balzac[16].
  • Honoré de Balzac's mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[17].
  • Honoré de Balzac was married to Ewelina Hańska[18].
  • A child of Honoré de Balzac was Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay[19].
  • Honoré de Balzac held citizenship in France[20].
  • French was Honoré de Balzac's native language[21].
  • Honoré de Balzac's professions included novelist[6].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a literary critic[7].
  • Honoré de Balzac's professions included writer[8].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a prose writer[9].
  • Honoré de Balzac worked as a journalist[10].
  • Honoré de Balzac's professions included art critic[22].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was French literature[23].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was journalism[24].
  • Honoré de Balzac's field of work was literary criticism[25].
  • Honoré de Balzac held the position of president of the Société des gens de lettres[26].
  • Honoré de Balzac's education included a stint at University of Paris[27].

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[28]

  • Country: FR[29]

  • Began / founded: 1799-05-20[30]

  • Ended / dissolved: 1850-08-18[31]

  • Community tags: has german audiobooks[32]

  • MusicBrainz ID: a0412c28-426e-409c-a7ed-363a3ffc481a[33]

Body

Origins and Family

Honoré de Balzac's place of birth was Tours[2]. Recorded date of birth include May 20, 1799[3] and January 1, 1799[12]. His father was Bernard-François Balzac[16]. His mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[17]. French was his native language[21].

Education

Educated at University of Paris[27], a former entity[34], in France[35], founded in 1150[36], headquartered in Paris[37]; Lycée Charlemagne[38], an educational facility[39], in France[40], founded in 1965[41]; and Paris Law Faculty[42], a faculty[43], in France[44]. Honoré de Balzac earned the academic degree of Bachelor of Laws[45].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], journalist[10], and art critic[22]. Fields of work include French literature[23], a field of study[46]; journalism[24], an industry[47]; and literary criticism[25], a literary genre[48]. Honoré de Balzac held the position of president of the Société des gens de lettres[26].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Père Goriot[49], a literary work[50], founded in 1835[51]; The Human Comedy[52], a literary cycle[53]; Illusions perdues[54], a literary work[55]; Eugénie Grandet[56], a literary work[57], founded in 1834[58]; Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes[59]; and La Peau de chagrin[60].

Recognition

Awards received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[61], a Q1499804[62], in France[63] and Q130762055[64].

Personal Life

Honoré de Balzac was married to Ewelina Hańska[18]. A child of him was Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay[19]. His religion is recorded as Catholicism[65].

Death and Burial

Recorded date of death include August 18, 1850[5] and August 19, 1851[13]. Honoré de Balzac died in Paris[4]. The cause of death was gangrene[66]. Recorded place of burial include Père Lachaise Cemetery[14] and Grave of Balzac and Ewelina Hańska[15].

Why It Matters

Honoré de Balzac ranks in the top 0.57% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (17,600 views/month, #5,744 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[67] He is known by 101 alternative names across languages and contexts.[68]

He has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[69], a translator[70], 1821–1881[71], of Russia[72]; Bret Easton Ellis[73], a writer[74], b. 1964[75], of United States[76], specialised in performing arts[77]; Émile Zola[78], a political reporter[79], 1840–1902[80], of France[81], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[82], specialised in literature[83]; William Faulkner[84], a screenwriter[85], 1897–1962[86], of United States[87], awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature[88], specialised in novel[89]; Anton Chekhov[90], a physician[91], 1860–1904[92], of Russian Empire[93], awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class[94], specialised in prose[95]; and Jack Kerouac[96], a writer[97], 1922–1969[98], of United States[99], specialised in American literature[100].

He is credited with the discovery of Vautrin[101]. Works attributed to him include The Human Comedy[102], Père Goriot[103], La Peau de chagrin[104], Illusions perdues[105], Eugénie Grandet[106], and Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes[107].

FAQs

Where was Honoré de Balzac born?

Honoré de Balzac's place of birth was Tours[2].

Where did Honoré de Balzac die?

Honoré de Balzac died in Paris[4].

Who were Honoré de Balzac's parents?

Honoré de Balzac's father was Bernard-François Balzac[16]. Honoré de Balzac's mother was Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier[17].

Who was Honoré de Balzac married to?

Honoré de Balzac's spouses include Ewelina Hańska[18].

What did Honoré de Balzac do for work?

Honoré de Balzac worked as novelist[6], literary critic[7], writer[8], prose writer[9], and journalist[10].

Where did Honoré de Balzac go to school?

Honoré de Balzac was educated at University of Paris[27], Lycée Charlemagne[38], and Paris Law Faculty[42].

What awards did Honoré de Balzac receive?

Honors received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[61] and Q130762055[64].

Who did Honoré de Balzac influence?

Honoré de Balzac has been cited as an influence by Fyodor Dostoyevsky[69], Bret Easton Ellis[73], Émile Zola[78], and William Faulkner[84].

What did Honoré de Balzac discover?

Honoré de Balzac is credited as discoverer of Vautrin[101].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [16] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [18] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . notablebiographies.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [20] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [26] ↑ . sgdl.org. sgdl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  8. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [23] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [24] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [25] ↑ . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [6] ↑ . Q131401229. wikidata.org.
  17. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [8] ↑ . Q138307249. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [14] ↑ . Le Père Lachaise historique, monumental et biographique. wikidata.org.
  23. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [65] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [61] ↑ . legiondhonneur.fr. Retrieved . legiondhonneur.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [64] ↑ . Le Monde. wikidata.org.
  27. [66] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [3] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . d-nb.info. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  30. [12] ↑ . Q131401229. bartleby.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  31. [5] ↑ . La Mort de Balzac. Retrieved . fr.wikisource.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  32. [13] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . d-nb.info. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  33. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [54] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [59] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [60] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [28] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [29] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [30] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  4. [31] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  5. [32] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  6. [33] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [69] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [73] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [78] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [84] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [90] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [96] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [101] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [102] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [103] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [104] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [105] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [106] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [107] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [34] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [35] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [36] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [37] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [39] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [40] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [41] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [43] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [44] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [46] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [47] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [48] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [62] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [50] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [51] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [55] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [58] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [75] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [81] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [85] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [86] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [87] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [88] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [89] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [91] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [92] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [93] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [94] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [95] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [97] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [98] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [99] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  46. [100] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [67] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [68] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Honoré de Balzac. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/honore-de-balzac
MLA “Honoré de Balzac.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 7 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/honore-de-balzac.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_honore-de-balzac_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Honoré de Balzac}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/honore-de-balzac}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-07}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Honoré de Balzac — https://4ort.xyz/entity/honore-de-balzac (retrieved 2026-10-07)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/honore-de-balzac · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2h ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → NLB-ar95813, SEK-177693
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3390]]: SEK-177693, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/289738|batch #289738]]"
  2. 5h ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['af', 'an', 'ar', 'arz', 'ast', 'ay', 'az', 'azb', 'ba', 'be', 'be_x_old', 'bg'
    Library of the university of santiago de compostela authority id → 981013404658407712
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → NLB-ar95813, SEK-177693
    Sitelink count → 176
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3390]]: NLB-ar95813, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/289738|batch #289738]]"
  3. 18d ago · Gerwoman · 2026-09-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sancho el sabio foundation id → 37516
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13804]]: 37516, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/285297723|Honoré de Balzac (#285297723)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7873|Sancho el Sabio "
  4. 23d ago · Xezbeth · 2026-09-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Personality database profile id → 6238
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P10757]]: 6238, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/251163118|Honoré de Balzac (#251163118)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7421|Personality Datab"
  5. 4w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-09-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Allcinema person id → 6205
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P7214]]: 6205, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/321934865|オノレ・ド・バルザック (#321934865)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8395|Allcinema person]] #mix"
  6. 5w ago · Gamaliel · 2026-08-28 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    The encyclopedia of fantasy id → balzac_honore_de, saint-aubin_horace_de
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P10883]]: saint-aubin_horace_de, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/87361221|Horace de Saint-Aubin (#87361221)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/33"
  7. 7w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wordnet 3.1 synset id → 10852707-n
    Babelnet id → 00008248n
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151058887
    P14750 → D74E-147D-CF92-9735-2609
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  8. 10w ago · Pierrotrgr · 2026-07-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Biblissima authority id → Q348630
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P11493]]: Q348630, Import ID Biblissima V3 ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/a6710164cdc|details]])"
  9. 12w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 → 138161
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14611]]: 138161, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260429|batch #260429]]"
  10. 12w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 → 1eg0mc
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  11. 13w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 → 118506358
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14608]]: 118506358, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  12. 14w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 341852
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14536]]: 341852, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  13. 15w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-06-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag → balzac
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13772]]: balzac, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289911022|balzac (#289911022)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's tag]] #mix'n'mat"
  14. 16w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0003853-Balzac-Honore-de-17991850
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0003853-Balzac-Honore-de-17991850, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259499|batch #259499]]"
  15. 17w ago · Bargioni · 2026-06-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source → Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +9
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/35587|batch #35587]]: add P1810 to P8034"
  16. 20w ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 → 5906
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14397]]: 5906, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258229|batch #258229]]"
  17. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30855|batch #30855]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (9)"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.