Christ in Flanders

Christ in Flanders, originally published in 1831, is a short story by Honoré de Balzac. Like almost all of Balzac's writings, it is considered part of his multi-volume body of work entitled The Comédie Humaine, but it is one of the tiniest pieces in the mosaic and bears little or no connectivity to other works in the series. The story takes place on the coast of Flemish Brabant, in present-day Belgium. A ferry from the island of Cadzand to the town of Ostend on the mainland encounters rough weather that threatens the lives of the passengers. Balzac examines how the travelers on board, representing various social classes, react to their impending doom, and to the mysterious Christ-like stranger who travels among them.