BALZAC HONORÉ DE: (1799-1850) French Novelist... Lot 663

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. Scarce A.N.S., `D B´ with his initials, one page, 4 x 5, n.p. [Paris], n.d., to Paul Gavarni, in French. Balzac sends a short and friendly message to his correspondent and friend Gavarni, showing complicity, stating `Vous êtes un vieux blagueur… à propos d´hercule, tout à vous..´ (`You are an old joker… talking about Hercules, all yours..´) With blank integral leaf, bearing to the verso remnants of a former red wax seal. Overall age wear with very few stains, otherwise G Paul Gavarni (1804-1866) French illustrator. Paul Gavarni was the pen name of Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier. Balzac and Gavarni had a close and friendly relationship, Balzac authored a work on Gavarni published by L´Artiste, and Gavarni illustrated Balzac´s novels, and made drawings for Vautrin one of the main characters of Balzac´s La Comédie humaine.