Illusions perdues — in English, Lost Illusions — is a serial novel written by the French writer Honoré de Balzac between 1837 and 1843. It consists of three parts, starting in provincial France, thereafter moving to Paris, and finally returning to the provinces. The book resembles another of Balzac's greatest novels, La Rabouilleuse (The Black Sheep, 1842), that is set in Paris and in the provinces. It forms part of the Scènes de la vie de province in La Comédie humaine. Background The novel's main character, Lucien Chardon, works as a journalist, and his friend David Séchard is a printer. These were both professions with which Balzac himself had experience. Balzac had started a printing business in Paris in 1826, which went bankrupt in 1828. His experiences influenced his description of David Séchard's working life. Balzac had bought the newspaper La Chronique de Paris in 1836 and founded La Revue Parisienne in 1840, both of which also went bust. A number of his novels had been published in serial form in the newspapers, though he often had disagreements with the publishers. He had also received harsh reviews in the newspapers from critics such as Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve and Jules Janin. Balzac had been critical of the press in La Peau de chagrin and later published a criticism of the press called Monograph of the Paris Press in 1842. Writing and publication Illusions perdues was published in three parts. 1837 - Les Deux Poètes (The Two Poets), Paris: Werdet 1839 - Un grand homme de province à Paris (A Great Man of the Provinces in Paris), Paris: Souverain 1843 - Ève et David (Eve and David), Paris: Furne The titles of the various constituent parts of Illusions perdues, which came out over a period of six years, vary considerably from edition to edition and also because of publication in serial form. The eventual title of Part III, Les Souffrances de l’inventeur (The Inventor’s Sufferings), was superimposed by Balzac onto his personal copy of the Furne edition of La Comédie humaine. The Two Poets includes sonnets by the main character. In real life, these were written by poet friends of Balzac's including Théophile Gautier. Plot summary Lucien Chardon, the son of a lower middle-class father and an impoverished mother of aristocratic descent, is the pivotal figure of the entire work. Living at Angoulême, he is impoverished, impatient, handsome and ambitious. His widowed