Which Work from this Classic Author is the Best Place to Start?

I received an automatic recommendation from LibraryThing for one of Honore de Balzac works. I've been meaning to introduce myself to his work for sometime, but I've made the mistake before of choosing the wrong work to introduce me to an author's work. I leave the book thinking that the author's work just isn't "my cup of tea", only to find out years later that the book I read wasn't the best one to introduce me to his work, and I lose out on the years I could've spent fully enjoying a new favourite author.

So I'd thought I'd ask my fellow classics geeks first: which book is the best introduction to Balzac's work?

I've left the title of this thread vague deliberately, so if there's another classic author whose work you've been meaning to get around to and want to mine our brains for advice, feel free.

Click:

http://www.librarything.com/author/honoredebalzac

This website will show you the popularity and rating of his works.

Old Goriot is the most popular title.

I'm a big fan of 501 Must-Read Books, which lists no more than one book per author. Old Goriot was their Balzac recommendation.

Ordinarily I wouldn't suggest working backwards, but in this case, the thought and writing of one of the great Balzac scholars is so spirited that I might recommend you look there, and based on what you find, then go for Balzac himself. Samuel Rogers is, in this context "da Man". Check him out. Happy hunting! -- Goddard

Thanks, everyone.

After a bit of research, I discovered that Old Goriot is the story of King Lear transposed onto 1820s France and is an vicious criticism of society that valued only a love of money. In our age, when the gap between rich and poor is widening everyday, it's not surprising that this book is so popular. Sounds like a great place to start with his work.

Old Goriot is a good entry in my opinion. But if you aren't adverse to a bit of fantasy, you could also try The wild ass's skin : the "engine" of the plot is fantastic but the social setting remains quite realistic. This kind of paradox is a good way to pinpoint how Balzac, for all his realistic description of the nineteenth century society, is also the creator of an entire world. As a matter of fact, the most fantastic passage in the novel for me don't refer to the magical skin but to the antiquarian's shop : you might call it a description of an incredible clutter, you might perhaps call it a precursor of magical realism. Realism is a very restrictive word when considering Balzac.

I don't remember now whether he was speaaking of OLD GORIOT, or of that huge complex known collectively as THE HUMAN COMEDY, but anyway, he said that the "real hero is the five-franc note".

.. and I am a The New Lifetime Reading Plan fanatic. Old Goriot, Eugene Grandet and Cousin Bette are Fadiman's selections.

Harry, I love that quote.