The first novel or novella in this edition is Le Colonel Chabert by Honoré de Balzac, a neglected masterpiece. The beginning of this short novel is a bit confusing as it starts in media res of clerks in a notary's office having lunch or supper and making fun of an old beggar in the street who apparently wants to see the notary. The old man, dressed in rags, is admitted and able to tell the notary his gruesome story. He relates how as a general he fought alongside Napoleon in the Battle of Eylau, in Prussia, and was slain so badly that, unconscious, with a gash over his skull, he was left for dead at the battlefield. He managed to escape from the mass grave into which he had been dumped and through the melting snow cry for help. Rescued, he was nursed back to health and after nine years returned to France to discover that his wife had remarried and disappeared and his dominions were sold off. The notary explains that his case is a difficult one, as officially colonel Chabert is dead, and to regain his possessions he must prove that he is who he claims to be, and not some impostor. The notary lends the colonel some money, to live on, while he agrees to represent him. A meeting with his (former) wife is arranged. She immediately recognizes him by his voice, but otherwise the colonel has unrecognizeably changed. The notary visits the colonel in his humble abode and explains that his fortune has dwindled, and that he could only hope to receive a fraction therof, if any at all.

Le Colonel Chabert is a very pitiable story. As Chabert, the war hero, returns after nine years, he finds himself among the nouveau riche of the new society. Several times there is mention that there is a considerable difference in age between colonel Chabert and the other major players in the drama, notably his (ex-) wife,her new husband, the notary and the lawyer. While colonel Chabert still loves his former wife, and isn’t even attempting to regain his full possessions, he is met with coldly calculating cunning, to swindle him and deny him his rights. This cold-hearted society, in which money rules, is very reminiscent of our own times.

A less well-known part of Balzac’s oevre are the five stories constituting Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise. These stories are directly linked to La Comédie Humaine. They are parables which make the reader reflect on human society through the eyes of animals. These five stories were written by Honoré de Balzac as a contribution to a series of short stories, plays, etc collected and edited by Pierre-Jules Hetzel, in Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux. Études de mœurs contemporaines. This serialized work, later published in book form, consists of novellas, satirical stories, and short plays, each richly illustrated with wood cuts. Volume one of consists of sixteen episodes of which four were written by Honoré de Balzac although one of his contributions was attributed to George Sand. Volume two consists of fourteen episodes, of which one by Honoré de Balzac.

The five episodes or novellas written by Balzac are collected and published as a separate volume. This type of “out-of-context” publication makes for quite difficult reading. For example, this edition has neither an introduction which might explain the broader framework of Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux, nor footnotes, nor illustrations. Knowledge of the broader framework is needed to understand direct references to the framework. In the Prologue the animals form an editorial board for the whole work, so when Balzac opens his second story as follows:

Messieurs les Rédacteurs, les Ânes sentent le besoin de s'opposer, à la Tribune Animale, contre l'injuste opinion qui fait de leur nom un symbole de bêtise. (p. 133)

Readers of the complete edition would know who those Rédacteurs (editors ) are, but without proper references the reader of the novellas out-of-context is at a loss. Generally, Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise is difficult to read because of many references to politicians, scientists and other real-life people during the first half of the nineteenth century, and cross references between the episodes, and to episodes contributed by other authors, which are not included in this edition. Therefore, Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise may not be such a light read, and for full appreciation, the reader without an annotated edition may have to spend some time looking up references.

Balzac’s first novella is titled “Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise”. It is an amusing story which can be read without much difficulty. It very clearly portrays Victorian mores about what does and what does not constitute proper behaviour in public. Like all other stories it is completely, cleverly and convincingly, written from the point of animals, in this case cats, and therefore presents humourous descriptions of how cats eat, drink milk or spend the whole night sleeping on the lap of their owner whilst he plays whist. “Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise” is a love story, describing the love of a fairly common cat for an “aristocratic” breed, and subsequent developments.

The second story by Balzac “Guide-âne à l’usage des animaux qui veulent parvenir aux honneurs” is much more difficult to understand as it refers to a scientific debate about the classification of animals by competing zoologists at the time the story was written.
The third story, “Voyage d’un moineau de Paris à la recherche du meilleur gouvernement” is more readable again. It is this story which was attributed to George Sand, as Balzac said he did not want to dominate volume 1. As a kind of introduction, the story opens describing the social structure of classes in Paris, or rich and poor sparrows, suggesting that the growing gap between the classes needs to be addressed by finding a more suitable form of government. Subsequently, the sparrow travels to three imaginary realms, the realm of the Ants, the Kingdom of the Bees, with their glorious Queen, clearly a reference to Victorian Britain, and the realm of the Wolves, to descide on the most appropriate form of state.
The next story, “Voyage d’un lion d’Afrique à Paris, et ce qui s’ensuivit” is difficult to follow. Superficially, it describes the visit of the Lion, the crown prince, to Paris. He is astounded to find that in France “the King reigns but the people rule” (A Paris, the roi règne et ne gouverne pas (p.204). The Lion describes contemporary Paris where anything is sold and anything can be bought. The story is written in epistolary from, of letters written home to his father. It is a satire of the demi-monde of Paris at that time (a propos the word “demi-monde” wasn’t coined until 1855). The story was difficult to understand because many references are not clear.

The last story “Les amours de deux bêtes offerts en exemple aux gens d’esprit : histoire animau-sentimentale” was the most readable, and most beautiful story to read. It is a love story that reads like a fairytale about the love of a Ladybug for a Caterpillar. The structure of the story is a little bit confusing because the story is set up as people’s observations of true love among animals, while the story contains references to the human world, the animal world an another realm inhabited by imaginary animals. These three layers are a bit confusing, but do not prevent the reader from an enchanting, magic reading experience. This story, was by far the most beautiful.

Overall, Balzac’s Peines de coeur d'une chatte anglaise is a very difficult, but with the right references, very rewarding, and thence, also, very enjoyable read. It is definitely advisable to buy an annotated edition, or read the stories within the context of Hetzel’s Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux.

Thus this edition brings together two interesting works, somewhat less well-known works. ( )