Andersen
I met Balzac at the house of Countess Bocalme.
It was the first time I had seen an affectionate expression on the face of an elderly lady. I was attracted to this expression. She is full of energy and passion. There is a portrait of her in the Louvre, which also caught my attention.
Everyone gathered around the countess, and she introduced us to each other. One of them was Mrs. Rebboll, the author of Shipwreck, and my "Black and White Hybrid" borrowed the story of her novel. I mentioned it to her and said the show was a success. She listened with great interest. From that night on, she became a special female protector of mine.
I met Balzac at the house of Countess Bocalme. He was an elegant and well-dressed gentleman. The teeth were so white that they shone brightly between the two red lips. Even though he didn't talk much in the circle, he seemed happy. A lady who wrote poetry pulled Balzac and I to the couch, and she sat between us and said in an attitude that both identity and humility she felt in front of us. I turned my head, behind her, and saw Balzac's mocking smile. He half-opened his mouth and deliberately made a very exaggerated expression. That's what happened when we first met.
One day, I was browsing the Louvre when I met a man who, in terms of size, gait and appearance, resembled Balzac, but his clothes were ragged and dirty, his shoes were not brushed, his pants were still wet, and his hat was shriveled and torn.
I was shocked. He smiled at me.
I walked past him and thought, "It's so much like Balzac."
I turned around and caught up with him again and asked, "You're not Mr. Balzac, are you?" ”
He smiled, showed his white teeth, and said, "Monsieur Balzac is going to St. Petersburg tomorrow." ”
He pressed my hand hard, nodded at me, and left.
His hands were thin and soft. I concluded that he was Balzac, or perhaps he was pretending to be a mystery who had come out to visit Paris for the sake of writing, or that this man was not Balzac at all, but because he looked too similar, arousing the speculation of strangers, and he was laughing at this time.
A few days later, I spoke to Countess Bocalme about it, and she said that Balzac had greeted me that he had gone to St. Petersburg.
This article is excerpted from "Andersen's Autobiography: My Fairy Tale Life", written by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Fu Guangming, published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House.
Author: Hans Christian Andersen Fu Guangming
Editor: Zhu Zifen