Léon Gozlan

Born in Marseille on September 11, 1803, Léon Gozlan grew up in a family whose fortunes fell sharply after his father, once a successful ship-broker, suffered financial setbacks. Before finishing his education, he went to sea to earn a living, sailing on trading voyages before eventually heading to Paris in 1828 to try his luck as a writer.

In Paris, he built a career as a novelist, playwright, and journalist. He wrote for Le Figaro and produced a large body of fiction and drama, earning a place among the active literary voices of his time rather than as a single-book celebrity.

Gozlan is often remembered today for his connection to Honoré de Balzac, whom he knew personally. His Balzac en pantoufles offers a more intimate, anecdotal glimpse of the great novelist, and helps preserve Gozlan’s own place in the literary life of 19th-century France. He died in Paris on September 14, 1866.