Honoré de BALZAC is working on his work “La Comédie humaine”.

Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)

Autograph letter signed to Jacques-Julien Dubochet.

Four pages in-8° on water green paper.

[Passy] January 5, 1844.

Correspondence Pléiade, volume III, n° 44-3, pp 188.189.

“The eleven published volumes will be the first eleven of The Human Comedy ”

Important letter to Dubochet – one of the four editors of La Comédie humaine with Pierre-Jules Hetzel, Alexandre Paulin and Charles Furne – testifying to Balzac's editorial worries. Interrupted since November 1843, the delivery service for La Comédie humaine did not resume until January 1844. Balzac complained about this to Dubochet and entrusted his letter to Hetzel, a partner in the adventure, to whom he wrote the same day, telling him of Victor Hugo’s support for him.

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“My dear Dubochet, As nothing should prevent the resumption of the delivery of Comédie humaine on Friday 5 in eight, Friday 12 January, please do me the pleasure of sending a little note to all those who are taking deliveries, as follows:

“The absence of M. de Balzac produced a momentary interruption in the sending of deliveries of the Comédie humaine ; but this interruption was taken advantage of by the Editors who came to an agreement with the author to fill the two gaps that existed in the order of the volumes. Thus, after having published volumes 10 and 11 (2 and 3 of Scènes de la vie parisienne) they will be able to publish volume 7 (3rd ^of Scènes de la vie de province) and volume 4 (4th ^of Scènes de la vie de province) of private life), so that after the publication of these 4 volumes, the eleven volumes published will be the first eleven of La Comédie humaine …”

The public and the complainants will thus know that the enterprise is not abandoned and I will no longer receive letters from people who take pleasure in bothering me under the veil of anonymity . It was I who predicted that the public would accept this publication as a very serious thing and that they would end up seeing it as a story instead of seeing it as novels. I have seven volumes of new works to do, to publish and place either in newspapers or in bookstores so that the two missing volumes are completed.

It takes time for them to be published either in newspapers or in booksellers – but above all they have to be done. Now, to make, for example, the 15 sheets that are missing from volume VII, Mr. Plon must have finished volume X, and his character must be used in my novel. And if Langrand [printer] had been producing volume XI for two months, he could compose manuscripts for volume IV that would be ready for the newspapers .

I repeat to you, my dear Dubochet, that not only are you stopping the matter, but you are depriving me of the means to facilitate the placement of the 4 works that I have to publish. I am entrusting this letter to Hetzel for your consideration. It is unimaginable that when, a difficulty anticipated by me during your first intentions which was to sell separate volumes, once recognized by you, excites my concern, to the point of making me do unprecedented work (to compose 4 new works, instead of dealing with the Peasants who are composed, with the Pathology of social life , etc.) it is you who are blocking me.

The day you want to publish on the 10th ^page of the newspapers, as a prospectus, the 2 introductory sheets that I made, you will see what you will sell from the 12th volumes! So, I demand once again, and this will be the last, your will, your activity which was more than promised to me ( it is a written article ) to finish Plon's volume, and to make Langrand work quickly. The 1st volume of Scènes de la vie politique will be a necessary snack to reach the deadlines for new publications, and believe me, my dear Dubochet, that I am making arrangements and working at the moment to give surprises to those who could give me believe or dead, or extinct or weakened . The Études de mœurs will have 16 volumes, one more than the 15 promised. You can take a break between Moral Studies and Philosophical Studies . My compliments. From BC. January 5, 1844.”