The Maison de Balzac (Balzac House) is a cottage in Paris’ Passy neighborhood where Balzac lived and worked from 1840-1847. It’s here that he wrote some of the most famous works in the Comédie Humaine, including Cousin Bette. The house was chosen, it’s well known, because Passy, then a peaceful village, was the ideal place for the debt-ridden author to hide from angry creditors. Today, the cottage and its pretty garden feel just as peaceful as they probably did then, even if Passy has become a chic, developed Parisian quartier. In the first few rooms of the house, visitors get to see portraits of important people in Balzac’s life, including Mme. Hanska, the forbidden love of his life. It’s in this room, too, that you’ll find that famous cane in a display case. Down a short hallway is the room where Balzac wrote, a dark Neo-Gothic-decorated chamber whose windows give out onto the garden. Books ranging from the author’s own works, to encyclopedias, occupy a small glass-fronted cabinet and remind visitors just how much research had to go into each of the Comédie Humaine’s novels. Not far off is the coffee pot that once sustained Balzac, a surprisingly small, delicate and pink ceramic vessel.

Besides these artifacts, the Maison also features two fantastic informative displays. The first is a series of copies of the same manuscript page, from the first draft, to the very last printed version. Balzac ran into debt paying to print and reprint his works until he was completely satisfied with them. Here, you’ll see that sometimes, in the later stages, it was all to change just a few small words. It makes one marvel at Balzac’s high standards, as well as wonder how different things would have been if he’d only been around in the age of the computer. The second room features copies of engravings of various characters from the Comédie Humaine, with a sort of huge family tree covering all the walls, showing how each character is connected to the others. A great resource for Balzac fans, and sure to get an impressed whistle or two from those just discovering the author and the complex universe he created.

While it may not be the flashiest museum in Paris, the quiet Maison de Balzac is among the best devoted to a single artist. This museum gives an authenthic portrayal of this eccentric, important author that stands a good chance of intriguing newcomers and hardcore fans alike.