Le Colonel Chabert [Paperback]

Honore de Balzac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1987 | ISBN-10: 0844218278 | ISBN-13: 978-0844218274

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A heart-rending tale of a soldier returning from the dead. After bravely leading his army through war, Colonel Chabert is considered dead. The narrative follows the return of this highly respectable man as he faces the truth of his absence. Honour and principles are personified in this character. Captivating!

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--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Honore de Balzac was a French novelist and one of the creators of Realism in literature. His “Human Comedy” spanned more than 90 novels and short stories in an attempt to comprehend and depict the realities of life in modern bourgeois France. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Natl Textbook Co (November 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844218278
• ISBN-13: 978-0844218274
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,831,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Translation of a Masterful Story!, November 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Colonel Chabert (Paperback)

Carol Cosman's translation of Balzac's French 'Colonel Chabert' into the English has been very effective here- she does not input her own interpretations and seems to have a good handle on Balzac's natural, concise wording style.

The story itself is fascinating. In a nutshell, it focuses on a military man who is essentially erased from society, and the tribulations and insights he has from this 'non-existant' state as he tries to re-establish himself. Not only is this a witty and profound social commentary, but an entertaining twist which just keeps twisting.

In reading other's reviews of this short masterpiece, it seems as if many people have missed the meaning of the finale. While it is indeed a very enigmatic ending, it is not as lugubrious or fatalistic as most believe. What happens is that Colonel Chabert, in essentially having his old identity annihilated, becomes enlighted. In the ultimate destruction of his ego he becomes free. This is the magic finale which Balzac labors so hard, and so majestically, to set up in the plot.

This tome is very impressive, and relatively short (just over 100 pages) for those new to Balzac who want a nice, piquant appetizer. Balzac is one of the most brilliant French fiction writers of all time! He is a giant, and in 'Colonel Chabert', he weaves another illustrious stitch into his tapestry the Comedie Humaine.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best translation..., May 10, 2004

By 

Robert G. Serafini (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colonel Chabert (Paperback)

...of a great Balzac novella. Ms. Cosman captures the rigorous, logical quality of Balzac's prose - most translators get lost in unidiomatic wordiness. This 100 page novella showcases the Master's comfort with legal matters, his profound understanding of "the fang and the claw" and features at its center the incomparable Derville, Balzac's great, recurring lawyer character. I usually recommend Pere Goriot for first-time Balzac readers because of the rich connections between that novel and many other Balzac works - but I am hard pressed to imagine a better one-course meal than this rendering of Colonel Chabert by Ms. Cosman. I certainly plan to read her version of The Girl with the Golden Eyes.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Criticism of Lawyers Remains Unchanged, August 16, 2000

By 

Judith Puncochar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colonel Chabert (Paperback)

Carol Cosman does a masterful job of translating Balzac's story of COLONEL CHABERT. The book is 101 pages of fast and fascinating reading. I loved Balzac's quip about the three professionals who cannot appreciate the world: the priest, the doctor, and the lawyer... the unhappiest of whom is the lawyer whose "offices are gutters that cannot be cleansed." Everyone should read this book. It will appeal equally to realists and optimists and to those who partake in social criticism or simply enjoy a good story.