In the book "The Works" Honore de Balzac, an outstanding French writer, one of the founders of realism in European literature, included two unusual in strength and originality of the work: [ 1) The cycle of essays "Human Comedy" , Including romances with the real ones, [CM Fantastic and philosophical stories , depicting French society during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy2) The cycle "Naughty Tales" - playful and funny novels , stylized as Boccaccio and Rabelais , in which - in contrast to the fashionable at that time melancholy romantic motives - the Gallic liveliness and cheerfulness are resurrected. Stories were created in between the writing of serious novels of the cycle "Human Comedy" Often the author borrowed stories from the works of ancient writers, but deftly re-faced them in his own way, adding liveliness to them and describing exquisite love pleasures. Translated by Dmitry Averkiev