Lost Illusions

Ambitious and gifted, Lucien Chardon leaves provincial Angouleme convinced his poetry will conquer Paris, while his loyal sister Eve and his inventor friend David Sechard stay behind to keep the family printing house alive. In the capital Lucien discovers that talent counts for little against money, connections, and the ruthless trade of journalism, where reputations are bought and betrayed by the day. His slow corruption and the family’s parallel struggles form one of Balzac’s fullest pictures of how the modern marketplace grinds down idealism. Sprawling, cynical, and alive with detail, it is often called his masterpiece and a founding novel about the business of literature itself. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available to read and download here.