La Rabouilleuse

La Rabouilleuse
Illustration from an 1897 edition
by Oreste Cortazzo
AuthorHonoré de Balzac
LanguageFrench
SeriesLa Comédie humaine
GenreFiction
PublisherFurne
Publication date
1842
Publication placeFrance
Media typePrint
Preceded byLe Curé de Tours 
Followed byL'illustre Gaudissart 

La Rabouilleuse (French pronunciation: [la ʁabujøz], The Black Sheep, or The Two Brothers) is an 1842 novel by Honoré de Balzac, and is one of The Celibates in the series La Comédie humaine.[1] The Black Sheep is the title of the English translation by Donald Adamson published by Penguin Classics. It tells the story of the Bridau family, trying to regain their lost inheritance after a series of mishaps.

Though for years an overlooked work in Balzac's canon, it has gained popularity and respect in recent years. The Guardian listed The Black Sheep 12 on its list of the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time.[2]

  1. ^ Honoré de Balzac. "The Human Comedy: Introductions and Appendix". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. ^ Robert McCrum (8 August 2006). "The 100 greatest novels of all time: The list | Books | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-16.