Gaudissart II
Written in 1844, this very short story of less than 4000 words is a sardonic portrait of Parisian salesmen. Where the travelling salesman in Balzac’s tale of The Illustrious Gaudissart got his comeuppance at the hands of the wily Tourangian peasants, in Paris – a citadel of commerce with shops to rival Versailles – things are different… Continue reading
La Comedie Humaine by Balzac 