BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) Balzac gets engaged to produce and supply a work in short term.

BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) Balzac gets engaged to produce and supply a work in short term.

BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) French Novelist and Playwright. Best known for his masterwork novel La Comedie Humaine, a multi-novel collection of novels written over twenty years. A very interesting document, being a contract between Honoré de Balzac and Emile de Girardin for the publication of Balzac´s serial works in the jounal La Presse in Paris. The manuscript contract is signed by Girardin and Balzac confirms the agreement with a sentence in his hand beneath the Editor´s signature, stating `Les frais de correction resteront comme par le passé à la charge de La Presse´ (Translation: "The corrections costs will remain, as done in the past, the responsibility of La Presse."). D.S., two pages, 4to, Paris, 16th April 1839, in French. The contract establishes that Balzac gets engaged very precisely to supply as follows `Mr. de Balzac s´engage à fournir au journal La Presse d´ici au trente et un décembre prochain, et successivement à commencer du 1er Juin, le nombre de cinquante feuilletons formant au moins huit nouvelles dont la dernière pourra au choix de M. Emile de Girardin être insérée partie en Décembre et partie en janvier suivant. Chaque feuilleton pourra aussi, quant à l´insertion dans le journal, être plus ou moins long, mais il sera compté à M. de Balzac à raison de six colonnes de 40 lignes chacune, et lui sera sur ce nombre, payé à raison de cent francs le feuilleton. Une somme de Deux Mille francs lui sera payée le trente Mai prochain à titre d´avances sur le présent engagement pris par lui...´ (Translation: "Mr. de Balzac undertakes to provide the newspaper La Presse by the thirty-first of next December, and successively starting from the first of June, with the number of fifty serials forming at least eight short stories, the last of which may be inserted, at the choice of Mr. Emile de Girardin, partly in December and partly in the following January. Each serial may also, as regards insertion in the newspaper, be more or less long, but it will be counted to Mr. de Balzac at the rate of six columns of 40 lines each, and he will be paid, on this number, at the rate of one hundred francs per serial. A sum of two thousand francs will be paid to him on the thirtyth of next month of May as an advance on the present commitment made by him...") Before concluding, Balzac imposes two conditions which are the last two clauses, stating `Mr. de Girardin s´oblige à mettre en tête de chaque nouvelle un avis indiquant que la reproduction en est interdite. - Mr. de Balzac se réserve le droit de rentrer dans la propriété de ses nouvelles quinze jours après l´insertion dans le journal du dernier feuilleton de chacune.´ (Translation: "Mr. de Girardin undertakes to put at the head of each story a notice indicating that reproduction is prohibited. - Mr. de Balzac reserves his right to take ownership of his stories fifteen days after the insertion in the newspaper of the last serial of each story") Balzac had already published in this way in La Presse his work La Vieille Fille (1836), and after the present contract he supplied and published Les Secrets de la Princesse de Cadigan and also Le Curé de Village. To be noted that the contract did not specify any title, Balzac could write what he wanted and the editor would publish it. And the sentence added by Balzac in his hand, referring to corrections, was really important as Balzac was known for his multiple and last minute corrections, and this meant additional expenses which he did not want to be responsible of. With blank integral leaf. A tear to the centre fold of the front page, right edge, not affecting the text, otherwise G to about VG

Emile de Girardin (1802-1881) French Journalist, Publisher and Politician. He was the most successful and flamboyant French journalist of the era. His magazines reached over a hundred thousand subscribers, and his inexpensive daily newspaper La Presse undersold the competition by half, thanks to its cheaper production and heavier advertising.

La Presse was a French journal founded in June 1836 by Emile de Girardin. While contemporary newspapers depended heavily on subscription and tight party affiliation, La Presse was sold by street vendors. The initial subscription to La Presse was only 40 francs a year while other newspapers charged around 80 francs.

From July 1836 La Presse serialised The Countess of Salisbury, the first novel of Alexandre Dumas père which was such a success that it followed it up with Honoré de Balzac´s La Vieille Fille.