Montblanc, “Honoré de Balzac” Montblanc created this pen in 2013 in honour of Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), in a limited edition. The pen’s design evokes the stature of the great man of letters, as well as his style of dress, always marked by dandyism and luxury. The cap is crafted from precious black resin and the barrel from dark grey lacquer with fine stripes are reminiscent of Balzac’s frock coat. The platinumplated clip ring with turquoise porcelain inlays is inspired by his sumptuous cane. Balzac, Honoré de May 20, 1799 – August 18, 1850 French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus. Owing to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters; even his lesser characters are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. Inanimate objects are imbued with character as well; the city of Paris, a backdrop for much of his writing, takes on many human qualities. His writing influenced many famous writers, including the novelists Emile Zola (1840-1902), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), and Henry James (1843-1916), filmmaker François Truffaut (1932-1984), and philosophers such as Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) and Karl Marx (1818-1883). Many of Balzac’s works have been made into films and continue to inspire other writers.