BALZAC

balzac, jean louis guez de (1594-1654), french author, was born at angouleme in 1594. at the age of eighteen he travelled in holland with theophile de viaud, with whom he later exchanged bitter recriminations. he was early befriended by the duc d'epernon and his son louis, cardinal de la valette, who took him to rome. his letters written to his acquaintances and to many who held a high position at the french court gained for him a great reputation. compliments were showered upon him, he became an habitue of the hotel de rambouillet, and his head appears to have been turned a little by his success. richelieu was lavish of praise and promises, but never offered balzac the preferment he expected. in 1624 a collection of his _lettres_ was published, and was received with great favour. from the chateau of balzac, whither he had retired, he continued to correspond with jean chapelain, valentin conrart and others. in 1634 he was elected to the academy. he died at angouleme on the 18th of february 1654. his fame rests chiefly upon the _lettres_, a second collection of which appeared in 1636. _recueil de nouvelles lettres_ was printed in the next year. his letters, though empty and affected in matter, show a real mastery of style, introducing a new clearness and precision into french prose and encouraging the development of the language on national lines by emphasizing its most idiomatic elements. balzac has thus the credit of executing in french prose a reform parallel to malherbe's in verse. in 1631 he published an eulogy of louis xiii. entitled _le prince_; in 1652 the _socrate chretien_, the best of his longer works; _aristippe ou de la cour_ in 1658; and several dissertations on style. his _oeuvres_ were collected (2 vols.) in 1665 by valentine conrart. there are numerous english translations from balzac, dating from the 17th century.