登陆注册
4700100000043

第43章

Having been appointed a member of the Committee of Official Relations, a committee which had been created at his suggestion for the purpose of seeing that men of letters should exercise a just influence over the government, Balzac drew up in 1841, some highly important Notes to be submitted to Messieurs the Deputies constituting the Committee on the Law of literary Property. But that same year, after having worked upon a Manifesto which the Committee was to present to the ruling powers, he handed in his resignation from the Society, on the 5th of October, and it was found impossible to make him reconsider his decision. It may be that he had received some slight which he could not forgive, or perhaps he had decided that it was to his interest to retain in his own name the right to authorise the republication of his works.

At this period he had attained that supremacy of which he had formerly dreamed in his humble mansarde chamber in the Rue Lesdiguieres, and he wished to have it crowned by some sort of official recognition. He made up his mind to present himself for election to the Academie Francaise, in December, 1839, but withdrew in favour of the candidacy of Victor Hugo, notwithstanding that the latter begged him, in a dignified and gracious message, not to do so.

An intercourse which, without being especially cordial, was fairly frequent had been established between these two great writers as a result of their joint labours on the committee of the Society of Men of Letters. During the month of July, 1839, Victor Hugo breakfasted with Balzac at Les Jardies, in company with Gozlan, for the purpose of discussing the great project of the Manifesto. Gozlan, who formed the third member of this triangular party, has left the following delectable account of the interview:

"Balzac was picturesquely clad in rags; his trousers, destitute of suspenders, parted company with his ample fancy waistcoat; his downtrodden shoes parted company with his trousers; his necktie formed a flaring bow, the points of which nearly reached his ears, and his beard showed a vigorous four days' growth. As for Victor Hugo, he wore a gray hat of a very dubious shade, a faded blue coat with gilt buttons resembling a casserole in colour and shape, a much frayed black cravat, and, as a finishing touch, a pair of green spectacles that would have delighted the heart of the head clerk of a county sheriff, enemy of solar radiation!"They made the circuit of the property, and Victor Hugo remained politely cold before the dithyrambic praises which Balzac lavished on his garden. He smiled only once, and that was at sight of a walnut tree, the only tree that the owner of Les Jardies had acquired from the community.

Victor Hugo had revealed to him the enormous profits that he drew from his dramatic writings, and it is easy to believe that Balzac's persistent efforts to have a play produced were due to the momentary glimpse of a steady stream of wealth that was thus flashed before his dazzled eyes. After the catastrophe of Vautrin, he still pursued his dramatic ambitions with Pamela Giraud and Mercadet, but failed to find any theatre that would consent to produce them. What was worse, the year 1840 was, beyond all others, a frightful one for Balzac. He faced his creditors like a stag at bay; and all the while he found the burden of Les Jardies becoming constantly heavier. The walls surrounding the property had slipped on their clay foundation and broken down, while Balzac himself had sustained a serious fall on the steep slopes of his garden, and had consequently lost more than a month's work.

Furthermore, he underwent imprisonment at Sevres for having refused to take his turn at standing guard over his neighbours' vineyards.

In his distress he thought seriously of expatriating himself and setting out for Brazil; and, before coming to a final decision, he awaited only the success or failure of a publishing venture such as he had already undertaken in vain. In the month of July, 1840, he started the Revue Parisienne, of which he was the sole editor, and through which he proclaimed a dictatorial authority over the arts and letters, society and the government. He had to abandon it after the third number.

Balzac remained in France, but he was obliged to quit Les Jardies. His creditors looked upon this property as their legitimate prey, and neither ruse nor sacrifice could any longer keep it from them. He first made a fictitious sale of it to his architect, and then a real one, on the advice of his lawyer. It had cost him more than ninety thousand francs, and he got back only seventeen thousand five hundred. But he had lived there through some beautiful dreams and great hopes.

同类推荐
  • 摩尼教下部赞

    摩尼教下部赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 画继

    画继

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE ILIAD

    THE ILIAD

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 润州二首

    润州二首

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 正谏

    正谏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 猫叫春(中国好小说)

    猫叫春(中国好小说)

    拒绝了农村的恋人芍药、跳出农门的我被分配到省城一家单位上班,整日默默无闻。逐渐认识了铃兰,我开始追求她,却被好朋友干姜插足夺去。铃兰和干姜在一起后,我和他们合买了一处住房。因为干姜的品性不定,婚后的铃兰生活的越来越坏。而在我又认识一家杂志社社长的女儿后,干姜又出现了……
  • 封神榜上写我名

    封神榜上写我名

    “世界上最锋利的刀,是人心”“胆小的人做不成大事!”“活着,不能只是为了活着!”“既然做梦!那不妨把梦做大些,大到这三千大界都容纳不了!”“要想让别人听到你的声音,不是用力嘶吼,而是站高些。”“封神榜,你到底是个什么玩意儿?”州战,国战。这是一个乱世,一个璀璨的乱世。
  • 中国精神

    中国精神

    本书不仅是一个反映社会主义精神文明建设伟大实践、弘扬时代精神的好书,而且是以长篇报告文学形式描绘声绘色精神文明的一次壮举,是一件带有开阳意义的工作。正当全党全国人民以饱满的热情、扎实的工作,迎接党的十六大召开的时候,解放军文艺出版社重点推出这部报告文学,具有特殊的意义。可以相信,它的面世将支受到广大读者的欢迎,充分发挥出激励人、鼓舞人、鞭策人的积极的作用。
  • 洪荒之冥河问道

    洪荒之冥河问道

    推荐新书《洪荒之逆天妖帝》盘古开天,无极洪荒,道祖鸿钧、三清、十二祖巫、西方二圣、女娲、帝俊太一·····,他们都有着属于自己的传奇,而身为血海之祖的冥河却没留下什么真正的传奇,一个来自后世的技术宅男表示很不服,看我大冥河问道求仙,终成无上大道。凡尘众生群号:536965310
  • 死亡三叹

    死亡三叹

    陈集益,70后重要作家。曾就读于鲁迅文学院第七届中青年作家高级研讨班。浙江省作协签约作家。在《十月》《人民文学》《中国作家》《钟山》《天涯》等大型文学期刊发表小说六十万字。2009年获《十月》新锐人物奖。2010年获浙江省青年文学之星奖。
  • 大数据:你的规划是什么

    大数据:你的规划是什么

    本书以颠覆性科技为主题,文章包括颠覆商业世界的十个趋势、扬帆海外:中国国企的世界梦、关乎2500亿美元: 如果中国不能填补高技能人才缺口、地方政府融资模式探讨、本土车企如何实现“中国梦”?等。作者为麦肯锡全球各分支机构的董事和顾问等。本书可供中国企业高管和相关研究人员参考、阅读。
  • 龙门大阵

    龙门大阵

    【年度优秀王者荣耀电子竞技小说】一篇诗,一斗酒,一曲长歌,一剑天涯!纵行山河万里,肆意九州五岳!征辽东,定天山,龙门阵开!
  • 老巴子传奇

    老巴子传奇

    应该说,秦山娃是我们学校最壮硕的学生,虎背熊腰,毛系发达,一身的蛮力,每逢县里或地区举办运动会,掷铁饼撇标枪,冠军非他莫属,远远领先于他人。他老家原在湖北神农架,家道中变,母亲亡故,被老爹用背篓背到东北,定居在靠山村里,靠面糊糊和豆腐渣喂大。早就有另一种说法,说秦山娃他妈被野人掳走,过了四五年,才大着肚子回来了,于是就生出了秦山娃。神农架当地人都把野人叫做老巴子,我们就给安到他头上。据说谁家的孩子闹觉,先说狼来了,虎来了,吓唬不住,最后才说,老巴子来了!孩子立刻声息泪止,乖乖地团缩在那里,屡试不爽,个个灵验,可见老巴子何等的威名。
  • A Second Home

    A Second Home

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 初恋男神逼入怀:夺吻66次

    初恋男神逼入怀:夺吻66次

    乔任然昏迷三个月之久,一觉醒来,身处神秘海岛上的一座超大豪华别墅。与长相俊美,脾气却很差的海岛别墅神秘主人褚越,度过了一段“不堪回首”的日子,日常互黑斗嘴吐槽演戏。经过一番超级无敌不要脸死缠烂打,终于费尽心思脱离它,重返校园。她决心要努力奋起,好好享受人生。目标:甩掉褚越,追校草,当学霸,成为一中大姐大。却不料,那个“被甩掉”的褚越在某一天粗暴地把她从学校里揪出,冷着一张脸把她直逼墙角:“传言你在学校里追校草,不惜违背原则去餐厅给人打工弹钢琴赚钱,只为送礼物给人家?!也没见你当初追我的时候这么上心!!”【这是一个关于高级建筑设计师与天才少女钢琴家的倒追爱情故事。日常斗嘴暖甜~】