Honoré de Balzac – The Girl with the Golden Eyes 1955 1st Turkish Book Turkey

Honoré de Balzac – The Girl with the Golden Eyes (Altın Gözlü Kız) – Ekicigil Yayınevi First Edition (1955)

Description:

This is the 1955 Turkish first edition of The Girl with the Golden Eyes (Altın Gözlü Kız), published by Ekicigil Yayınevi. Written by Honoré de Balzac and originally published in 1835, the novella is part of Balzac’s monumental literary cycle La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy), specifically within the trilogy History of the Thirteen.

The story is set in Paris and follows the aristocratic Henri de Marsay, who becomes fascinated by the mysterious and beautiful Paquita Valdés, known as the “girl with the golden eyes.” As his obsession deepens, the narrative evolves into a dark and psychologically intense tale involving desire, jealousy, secrecy, and manipulation. Balzac uses the relationship between the characters to expose the decadence and hidden moral corruption beneath elite Parisian society.

Honoré de Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of literary realism and is celebrated for his detailed portrayal of 19th-century French society. Through his interconnected Human Comedy series, he explored ambition, class, money, and human psychology with extraordinary depth. In The Girl with the Golden Eyes, Balzac combines social observation with passion and gothic intensity, creating one of his most provocative shorter works.

This Ekicigil Yayınevi first edition is especially collectible due to its vintage Turkish publication history and its cover artwork by renowned Turkish illustrator Samim Utkun, making it a distinctive local Turkey-only edition sought after by collectors.

Key Features:

• Title: The Girl with the Golden Eyes (Altın Gözlü Kız)

• Author: Honoré de Balzac

• Publisher: Ekicigil Yayınevi

• PublicationYear: 1955

• Language: Turkish

• Format: Paperback

• Genre: Psychological fiction; Realist literature

• Series: La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy)

• Original Publication: 1835

• Main Characters: Henri de Marsay; Paquita Valdés

• Themes: Desire; Obsession; Jealousy; Social decadence; Secrecy

• Special Feature: Cover illustrated by Turkish artist Samim Utkun

• Collectible Note: Local Turkey-only vintage illustrated edition

• Literary Significance: One of Balzac’s most provocative and psychologically intense novellas