“Eugenie Grandet” is a novel written by Honore de Balzac. It was partially published in the “L’Europe litteraire” magazine in September, 1833. The first complete publication was accomplished in 1834.
Honore de Balzac was one of the first literary men seeking for the fairness and merciless demonstration of modern France of those years, showing the real life of his contemporaries. One of the main themes in his novels is the topic of the destructive power of money and the degradation of the soul under the influence of gold. This theme is touched in the Balzac’s novel “Eugenie Grandet”.
“Eugenie Grandet” was recognized as a masterpiece of the novel genre from the moment of the first printed edition in France in 1834. The book was sold up with great success. The fame of the “Eugenie Grandet”, as Balzac considered himself, covered all his next writings. The novel didn’t leave indifferent either readers, or translators or researches. The last ones write about his peculiarities of the well-composed structure, the mature system of characters, figured language, realistic and imaginative power of description. The dialogues deserve special attention. Sometimes the temperature obtains so power in character’s speeches, that the novel resembles a drama. This feature didn’t slip away from theater workers: “Eugenie Grandet” survived a large number of stage adaptations in France and outside the country. And in the 20th century several screen versions appeared in the world.
