Honoré de Balzac

The creator of La Comédie Humaine — a cycle of 91 interconnected novels and stories cataloguing French society from the Revolution to the July Monarchy. Balzac documented the rise of the bourgeoisie with sociological precision: Père Goriot, Eugénie Grandet, and Lost Illusions map the ruthless pursuit of money and status in post-Napoleonic France. He worked 16-hour days fuelled by coffee and died from years of overwork.

• Roles: Novelist, Writer