The Bureaucrats Book

This is the second time I have read this edition of Honoré de Balzac's Les Employés (translated as The Bureaucrats. France of the 1830s and 1840s -- the period of the so-called "July Monarchy" -- is governed by a "citizen king" who rules through a massive bureaucracy. In this short novel, we are treated to an epic battle between two factions for the post occupied by the deceased La Billardière: Messrs Rabourdin, a talented administrator, and Baudoyer, a well-connected dolt. In The Bureaucrats, we see all the back-door conniving and arm-twisting, the threats, the false promises, and the reactions of a large cast of bureaucrats in several departments who are sucked into the battle.

The Rabourdins are in debt and badly need the position to pull themselves out of a hole: "The thought of her debts crossed Madame Rabourdin's mind and dazed her, as if two lightning flashes had blinded both eyes at once; her ears buzzed under the heightened pressure of the blood that pounded in her arteries; she remained quite bewildered for a moment, staring at a curtain hook without actually seeing it."

Without giving away the plot, the key here as in most of Balzac's works, is to follow the trail of the money. Not only are people frequently ruined financially, but usually by envious persons who form a cabal to do their dirty work. As In César Birotteau, Père Goriot, and Lost Illusions, this cabal's activity is at the heart of the novel. Sometimes, the villain wins; less frequently, the hero wins.

Over the years, I have read approximately 60% of the author's voluminous work. Even the novels I have read several times (especially Père Goriot are among the most profound studies of misery in the material realm. If you decide to play the game, you can find yourself facing utter, condign defeat of yourself, your family, and all who love you. This is Balzac at his most devious, at his very best.



Merged review:

In the France of Louis-Philippe, the so-called "Citizen King," France is administered by a series of giant bureaucracies. When one department head dies, there is a scramble to replace him. The two candidates are Rabourdin, a talented and honest administrator, and the dolt Baudoyer. Balzac studies how Rabourdin and Baudoyer and their allies connive to win the coveted post. Because this is a Balzac novel, we have the usual cabal of individuals -- consisting here of an unusually large cast of characters -- who unite to add their voice to the sirling whirlwind.

This is an excellent short novel by Honoré de Balzac which deserves to be more frequently read. It is actually more tightly written than most. The only fault this edition has is a lack of notes in the text, especially a translation of Latin and French expressions. (This is curious because the introduction is followed by several pages of end notes.)