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| Friday, January 11, 2013 Maison de Balzac |
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| Walking around in the rain on New Years day I stumbled on Rodin's famed sculpture of French writer, Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) in a bathrobe on bd Montparnasse. |
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| You'll find it set back from rue Raynouard at number 47 in the village of Passy (Metro:Passy) 75016. It's about two steps from the Eiffel Tower yet has a country feel in the middle of Paris. Oh and it's free. |
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| Balzac's writing room with his original writing desk. Each room has a specific theme with bilingual commentary. |
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| Many, many sculptures, busts and portraits of Balzac and family members. Did Balzac ever uncross his arms? |
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Quotations everywhere, many from the letters of Madame Hanska, Balzac's wife of a mere 5 months but devoted correspondent of over 20 years. Evidently Balzac worked nonstop.
This one says, "To work, I get up every night at midnight, write for 8 hours, lunch for a quarter of an hour, work another 5 hours, eat diner, then go to bed and begin again the day after". |
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| Another room contains facsimilies of Balzac's manuscripts. Sometimes a single page was rewritten 16 times! |
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| In the same room this tres charmante lamp with Balzac's handwriting on it. |
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| Also highly covetable - the cafetière de Balzac. Sadly there is no substantial giftshop at the Balzac. Who wouldn't give their right arm for this stunner? |
Not a cafetière from Balzac's home but seen in an antique shop, Aux présents du passé at 50, rue de l'assomption 75016
As was the DOG OF THE DAY at the same shop.
Voila!
The entire dollhouse tableaux in Aux présents du passé's vitrine.
Paris has at least a dozen free museums like the Maison de Balzac. Many of them as intimate and charming as the Balzac and every one offers guides to the others like Victor Hugo's home or the Cognacq-Jay. I usually bypass these for the bigger shows but this time I'd like to hit as many as possible. Pourquoi pas?
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