Honoré de Balzac · Karl Marx Were Honoré de Balzac and Karl Marx alive at the same time? Yes. Honoré de Balzac and Karl Marx were alive at the same time for 32 years, from 1818 to 1850. Honoré de Balzac was 18 when Karl Marx was born.Karl Marx was 32 when Honoré de Balzac died, aged 51. Honoré de BalzacFrench novelist and playwrightBorn 20 May 1799 · died 18 August 1850, aged 51Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64 NapoleonHonoré de BalzacAbraham LincolnCharles DarwinKarl MarxLeo TolstoyMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert Einstein Honoré de Balzac and Karl Marx in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.