Honoré de Balzac, the prolific French novelist behind La Comédie Humaine, was as famous for his writing as he was for his extreme lifestyle.

Fueled by Coffee—Literally
Balzac reportedly drank up to 50 cups of coffee a day—and sometimes ate the grounds. He believed it was the key to his productivity, though it likely harmed his health.

A Relentless Work Ethic
Writing up to 18 hours a day, he often worked through the night in a monk-like robe, convinced that inspiration struck best when the world was asleep.

Career Flops and Crushing Debt
Before turning to writing full time, Balzac tried (and failed at) printing, publishing, and even pineapple farming. These failures left him in debt for most of his life—debt that pushed him to write with urgency.

A Literary Universe
With La Comédie Humaine, Balzac pioneered one of literature’s first shared universes—over 90 novels with recurring characters and intertwined storylines meant to reflect all of French society.

Unfinished Yet Unmatched
He died at 51, still in debt and with dozens of planned works left unwritten. Even unfinished, his vast body of work remains a towering achievement in literary history.