Honoré de Balzac

Career overview

Role: Meticulous television and film archivist.
Task: Write a career overview of Honoré de Balzac (Writing).
Constraints:
Use ONLY verifiable facts from the provided SYNOPSIS and SOURCES.
No invented titles, names, dates, etc.
Original, neutral, encyclopedic prose.
Plain text only (no markdown, no asterisks, no headings, no bullet points).
Word count: 180-260 words.
Structure: 2-3 short paragraphs.
No preamble, no JSON.
Synopsis:
French novelist and playwright.
Founder of realism in European literature.
First project: libretto for comic opera "Le Corsaire" (based on Lord Byron's "The Corsair").
1820: Completed five-act verse tragedy "Cromwell".
1832: Conceived idea for an enormous series of books to paint a panoramic portrait of "all aspects of society".
"Illusions perdues/Lost Illusions": serial novel written between 1837 and 1843.
Source [1]:
Known for: Writing.
Known credits: 103.
Birthday: May 20, 1799.
Death: August 18, 1850 (51 years old).
Birthplace: Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France.
Source [2]:
"Lost Illusions" is a drama by Xavier Giannoli based on a Honoré de Balzac novel.
Cast includes Benjamin Voisin, Xavier Dolan, Cecile de France, Gerard Depardieu, and Jeanne Balibar.
Paragraph 1: Identity and Early Work.
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France, on May 20, 1799. He is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. His first project was a libretto for a comic opera titled Le Corsaire, which was based on Lord Byron's The Corsair. In 1820, he completed the five-act verse tragedy Cromwell.
Paragraph 2: Major Works and Legacy.
After writing several novels, Balzac conceived the idea in 1832 for an enormous series of books intended to provide a panoramic portrait of all aspects of society. One such work is the serial novel Illusions perdues, also known as Lost Illusions, which was written between 1837 and 1843. This novel served as the basis for the Xavier Giannoli drama Lost Illusions, featuring a cast that includes Benjamin Voisin, Xavier Dolan, Cecile de France, Gerard Depardieu, and Jeanne Balibar. Balzac is credited with 103 works and died on August 18, 1850, at the age of 51.
Draft 1 Word Count Check:
Para 1: ~55 words.
Para 2: ~100 words.
Total: ~155 words.
Problem: Too short. Needs to be 180-260 words.
Expanding (carefully using only provided facts):
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France, on May 20, 1799. He is recognized as one of the founders of realism in European literature. His initial project consisted of a libretto for a comic opera titled Le Corsaire, which was based on the work The Corsair by Lord Byron. Following this, in 1820, he completed the five-act verse tragedy Cromwell.

In 1832, after having written