Colonel Chabert
- First published
- 1829
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"Colonel Chabert" by Honoré de Balzac is a novella published in 1832. A French cavalry officer, believed dead after the Battle of Eylau, survives his grave and returns to Paris years later. He discovers his wife has remarried into high society and claimed his inheritance. Seeking to reclaim his identity and fortune, Chabert hires a lawyer to fight for justice. The story contrasts Napoleonic honor with Restoration-era values, where social rank and wealth matter more than truth or loyalty.
- Historical fiction
- France
- Legal stories
- French fiction
- Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815
- Justice, Administration of
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #1954. Colonel Chabert on Wikipedia.
