Paul Giamatti Plays Honoré de Balzac, Hopped Up on 50 Coffees Per Day

It’s the stuff of legend. Honoré de Balzac cranked out 50+ novels in 20 years and died at 51. The cause? Too much work and caffeine. How much coffee? Up to 50 cups per day, they say.

Whether true or not, it’s fun to imagine what that scene might have looked like. Enter Paul Giamatti, known for his roles in Sideways, American Splendor and John Adams, who gives us his comic take. This new short film comes from The New Yorker, which has just released the first season of The New Yorker Presents on Amazon.

For more on Balzac’s coffee habit, see the first two items in the Relateds below.

Related Content:

Honoré de Balzac Writes About “The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee,” and His Epic Coffee Addiction

The Coffee Pot That Fueled Honoré de Balzac’s Coffee Addiction

Philosophers Drinking Coffee: The Excessive Habits of Kant, Voltaire & Kierkegaard

J.S. Bach’s Comic Opera, “The Coffee Cantata,” Sings the Praises of the Great Stimulating Drink (1735)


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