Editor’s spotlight — updated daily
Honoré de Balzac
France
Honore de Balzac, born May 20, 1799 in Tours, France, created the monumental novel cycle La Comedie Humaine with over 2,000 characters. He wrote 14 to 18 hours daily, fueled by coffee, producing works like Le Pere Goriot 1835 and Eugenie Grandet 1833. He married Countess Eva Hanska in 1850 and died three months later in Paris.