Bel-ami

<p>Guy de Maupassant's scandalous tale of an opportunistic young man corrupted by the allure of power, <i>Bel-Ami</i> is translated with an introduction by Douglas Parmée in Penguin Classics.<br><br>Young, attractive and very ambitious, George Duroy, known to his admirers as Bel-Ami, is offered a job as a journalist on <i>La Vie francaise</i> and soon makes a great success of his new career. But he also comes face to face with the realities of the corrupt society in which he lives - the sleazy colleagues, the manipulative mistresses and wily financiers - and swiftly learns to become an arch-seducer, blackmailer and social climber in a world where love is only a means to an end. Written when Maupassant was at the height of his powers, <i>Bel-Ami</i> is a novel of great frankness and cynicism, but it is also infused with the sheer joy of life - depicting the scenes and characters of Paris in the <i>belle epoque</i> with wit, sensitivity and humanity.<br><br>Douglas Parmée's translation captures all the vigour and vitality of Maupassant's novel. His introduction explores the similarities between Bel-Ami and Maupassant himself and demonstrates the skill with which the author depicts his large cast of characters and the French society of the Third Republic.<br><br>Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was born in Normandy. By the late 1870s, the first signs of syphilis had appeared, and Maupassant had become Flaubert's pupil in the art of prose. He led a hectic social life, and in 1891, having tried to commit suicide, he was committed to an asylum in Paris, where he died two years later.<br><br>If you enjoyed <i>Bel-Ami</i>, you might like William Makepeace Thackeray's <i>Vanity Fair</i>, also available in Penguin Classics.</p> <p>Guy de Maupassant's scandalous tale of an opportunistic young man corrupted by the allure of power, <i>Bel-Ami</i> is translated with an introduction by Douglas Parmée in Penguin Classics.<br><br>Young, attractive and very ambitious, George Duroy, known to his admirers as Bel-Ami, is offered a job as a journalist on <i>La Vie francaise</i> and soon makes a great success of his new career. But he also comes face to face with the realities of the corrupt society in which he lives - the sleazy colleagues, the manipulative mistresses and wily financiers - and swiftly learns to become an arch-seducer, blackmailer and social climber in a world where love is only a means to an end. Written when Maupassant was at the height of his powers, <i>Bel-Ami</i> is a novel of great frankness and cynicism, but it is also infused with the sheer joy of life - depicting the scenes and characters of Paris in the <i>belle epoque</i> with wit, sensitivity and humanity.<br><br>Douglas Parmée's translation captures all the vigour and vitality of Maupassant's novel. His introduction explores the similarities between Bel-Ami and Maupassant himself and demonstrates the skill with which the author depicts his large cast of characters and the French society of the Third Republic.<br><br>Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was born in Normandy. By the late 1870s, the first signs of syphilis had appeared, and Maupassant had become Flaubert's pupil in the art of prose. He led a hectic social life, and in 1891, having tried to commit suicide, he was committed to an asylum in Paris, where he died two years later.<br><br>If you enjoyed <i>Bel-Ami</i>, you might like William Makepeace Thackeray's <i>Vanity Fair</i>, also available in Penguin Classics.</p>