4.5 stars. I have jumped around quite a bit while reading Balzac’s The Human Comedy, starting with The Unknown Masterpiece and Gambara, and then going back to what is probably his best known work, Père Goriot. Last year was my year of Shakespeare. This is my year of Proust. I think that my next ambitious literary reading endeavor is to immerse myself in the entirety of Balzac’s Human Comedy, that immense and impressive collection of nearly 100 works.It is well-known that Balzac had an addiction to coffee and consumed quantities of caffeine sufficient to keep a whale up for a fortnight (estimates vary, but many suggest that he drank around 50 cups a day!). He also had a somewhat unusual technique of writing several stories and novels at the same time, perhaps a result of creativity in overdrive. Some suggest that Balzac’s addiction to coffee contributed to his untimely death. But without the artificial energy to keep him going, would we then have ever known the sociological, philosophical and literary genius that make up The Human Comedy?As a writer, Balzac had a great influence on many others, like Baudelaire, Marx and Proust (just to name a few). And he was likewise influenced by the likes of great French writers before him, notably Molière (whom is referenced many times in this particular work – with great focus placed on Molière’s Tartuffe). What I have noticed in Balzac’s works so far (themes which apparently weave throughout his Human Comedy) is that he places a great deal of emphasis on greed and money, family relations and the social ills of 19th century Parisian life. Balzac holds a mirror up to society and show it its grotesque image, portraying Parisian society of the 19th century as “a jungle wherein human nature is not less ‘red in tooth in claw’ than the animal nature from which it derives” (Buñuel? Renoir?). His works can really be characterized as comedies of manners, many with dark undertones. As the translator of this particular edition, Herbert Hunt, writes: “[Balzac] is pessimistic but not despairing, of human nature at an age, and in a milieu, when the blackest crimes were blandly committed under a cloak of legality.” What I have learned in the introduction to this work and then in the work itself is that many of Balzac’s characters make repeat appearances throughout The Human Comedy, and it is partly for this reason – and because of the unifying themes – that I want to read the works in their entirety (I found some good suggestions online for reading order). Cousin Pons was written near the end of Balzac’s life and in many ways reflects perhaps his own thoughts about mortality, with a main character who seems to be a fragment of the great author himself, who was, like Pons, known to have an affection for antiquing (collecting “bric-a-brac”) and for gluttony. As the translator writes, “‘Cousin Pons’ has made the search for succulent dinners his main purpose in life.” And though writing was likely Balzac’s main purpose, his affection for gastronomic pleasures was probably at times of great import. When Balzac writes about food, and of great valuables, the reader gets a sense of the strong affinity he has for it and the narrative becomes full of life. The work is filled with interesting musings on devotion (is there a truer friend in the world than Pons’ dear Monsieur Schmucke?), greed, music, life and death, food and so much more. And it is Balzac’s insight on this crazy world that makes this tragic, yet comic tale so intriguing so many years later. It is not my favorite of Balzac’s works that I’ve read so far, but it is nonetheless a delightful, insightful and entertaining read.
Balzac, Honore de. COUSIN PONS. (1848). ****tThis novel was Balzac’s counterpoint to “Cousin Bette.” In this story, we get to examine the life of Cousin Pons, an unassuming man in his early sixties whose hobby, for many years now, was the purchase and collection of paintings and decorative arts. He didn’t have much money, so he was always on the lookout for bargains – where the seller didn’t know the value of what he had to sell, or where the piece was so obscured by dirt and grime that only his expertise could tell what was underneath. Cousin Pons had only one pleasure in life besides his collecting: he loved to eat fine food. The only way he could do this was to show up at his relatives’ houses at dinner time and be invited to join them in their repast. The relatives didn’t feel put upon since they used Pons to run errands for them and perform other small services. Pons was tolerated, but had no real friends until he met a fellow boarder, Herr Schmucke, who also felt immediately attracted to Pons. Turns out that Pons’ collection of “bric-a-brac” and paintings has become very valuable. When Pons becomes sick, all kinds of plans are put underway by a variety of people, including his concierge and his distant relatives, to be named as heirs to the collection. Pons wants the collection to go to Schmucke, who really couldn’t care less. The forces that come into play as Pons’ end approaches reveal the worst sides of the people around him, and give Balzac ample room to show the rougher side of his Parisians. Recommended.
What do You think about Cousin Pons (1978)?
Ieri e oggiIl cugino Pons è uno degli ultimi romanzi scritti dal nostro, pochi anni prima della morte. E la morte, quasi Balzac la sentisse vicina, è uno dei grandi protagonisti del romanzo.L'altro, il principale, vero e proprio leit-motif di tutta la Comédie, è l'avidità, la sete di denaro e potere che muove praticamente tutti i personaggi del libro. Gli unici che non ne sono affetti sono proprio Pons e il suo grande amico Schmucke: sono artisti, estranei ad un mondo che misura tutto in base al denaro. Sin dall'inizio del libro Pons ci viene infatti presentato come un uomo fuori dal tempo, che anche nell'abbigliamento sembra appartenere ad un'altra epoca. Oltre che musicista è collezionista d'arte, e come tale considerato un po' bislacco dalla parentela che frequenta. Solo quando parenti, vicini e conoscenti si renderanno conto del valore (venale) della sua collezione, faranno di tutto per impadronirsene, gettandosi come avvoltoi sul povero Pons per spolparlo. L'avidità non risparmia, come sempre in Balzac, neppure i personaggi delle classi inferiori, il cui unico obiettivo è avere una rendita e condurre un'esistenza borghese, e non esitano a ricorrere al delitto per raggiungerlo.Il romanzo è sapientemente costruito per giungere in un crescendo di pathos al gran finale, in cui, come detto, la morte è la grande protagonista.Tutto nel libro soggiace alla visione disperata e disperante di Balzac nei confronti della società a lui contemporanea: tutto tranne il bellissimo rapporto tra Pons e Schmucke, un'amicizia venata di omosessualità che Balzac guarda con occhio benevolo e quasi appassionato.In questo quasi testamento Balzac sembra volerci dire che tutti i valori veri sono ormai scomparsi, aggrediti e uccisi da una società nella quale conta solo il denaro, qualunque sia il mezzo con cui ce lo si procura.Parlava davvero della Francia del XIX secolo?
—Vittorio Ducoli
Le Cousin Pons (1847)پسرعمو پونس، حکایتی ست کم و بیش مشابه "دخترعمو بت"، اما در بعدی مردانه! این دو که از آخرین رمان های بالزاک هستند، کامل کننده ی یکدیگرند. سیلوین پونس نوازنده، با نوازنده ی آلمانی همان ارکستر، ویلهلم شموک، دوستانی صمیمی اند. پونس، برخلاف شموک، دو نقطه ضعف دارد؛ جمع آوری آثار هنری، و علاقه ی مفرط به غذای خوشمزه. شموک اما تنها یک نقطه ضعف دارد؛ علاقه ی مفرط به پونس. پونس، پیش از مرگی زودرس، همه ی دار و ندارش را به شموک می بخشد. شموک اما با قلبی شکسته می میرد، چرا که با مرگ پونس، همه ی آنچه عزیز می داشته، از دست رفته است. پسر عمو پونس را سیروس نویدان به فارسی برگردانده است.در مورد بالزاک؛https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
—علی
Sylvain Pons, now in his sixties, is a dear sweet soul, a musician. Pons has never married, feeling he didn't have the funds to support a family. His passion is collecting curios. Almost his only entertainment is a weekly dinner with his cousin Camusot de Marville. His cousin's wife however is not fond of Pons and wishes to exclude him from her home. His best friend is Wilhelm Schmucke, a German musician, also kind and sincere. Cibot is the porter in the house in which they live. His wife, Madame Cibot cooks for the two bachelors. She also never makes a decision without consulting her fortune-teller. Madame Fontaine's portrait is short but highly entertaining as she makes use of a giant toad and a black chicken. Remonencq is a dealer in odds and ends who covets Pons' collection.
—Dagny
