Published in 1837, César Birotteau had preoccupied Balzac for much of the previous six years, with repeated references, in correspondence with friends and publishers, to the novel’s progress and claims of its imminent completion. In an extensive preface, written in 1834, to the Études philosophiques, of which César Birotteau was to form a part, Félix Davin, the novelist and poet writing at Balzac’s instigation and under his direction, paid tribute to a novel that was still, at that point, in embryonic form at best. Its inclusion under the heading of Études philosophiques was an early indication, however, of the role Balzac intended for it in the a…
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Citation: Wagstaff, Peter. "César Birotteau". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2017 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11196, accessed 26 April 2024.]
