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Guy de Maupassant was probably born at the Château de Miromesniel, Dieppe on August 5, 1850. In 1869 Maupassant started to study law in Paris, but soon, at the age of 20, he volunteered to serve in the army during the Franco-Prussian War. Between the years 1872 and 1880 Maupassant was a civil servant, first at the ministry of maritime affairs, then at the ministry of education.
As a poet Maupassant made his debut with Des Vers (1880). In the same year he published in the anthology Soirées de Medan (1880), edited by E. Zola, his masterpiece, "Boule De Suif" ("Ball of Fat", 1880). During the 1880s Maupassant created some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. In tone, his tales were marked by objectivity, highly controlled style, and sometimes by sheer comedy. Usually they were built around simple episodes from everyday life, which revealed the hidden sides of people. Among Maupassant's best-known books are Une Vie (A Woman's Life, 1883), about the frustrating existence of a Norman wife and Bel-Ami (1885), which depicts an unscrupulous journalist. Pierre Et Jean (1888) was a psychological study of two brothers. Maupassant's most upsetting horror story, Le Horla (1887), was about madness and suicide.
Maupassant had suffered from his 20s from syphilis. The disease later caused increasing mental disorder - also seen in his nightmarish stories, which have much in common with Edgar Allan Poe's supernatural visions. Critics have charted Maupassant's developing illness through his semi-autobiographical stories of abnormal psychology, but the theme of mental disorder is present even in his first collection, La Maison Tellier (1881), published at the height of his health.
On January 2, in 1892, Maupassant tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat and was committed to the celebrated private asylum of Dr. Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893.
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Maupassant and St Tropez
Does anyone out there know the title of a Maupassant short story that involves him discovering St Tropez after his train breaks down?
Posted By janine11@mac.co at Fri 9 May 2008, 3:28 PM in Maupassant, Guy de || 1 Reply
Maupassant
Hi there I'm looking for a short story by Maupassant in which his train breaks down and he comes across St Tropez. Is there anyone out there who knows. Otherwise I'll just have to read all the stories! Enjoyable but time consuming! Many thanks.
Posted By janine11@mac.co at Fri 9 May 2008, 3:53 AM in Maupassant, Guy de || 2 Replies
Our Letters as an French Audio Book?
i am just wondering if anybody ever heard or know about the short story Nos Lettres (our letters) being recorded and/or broadcasted somewhere somehow? radio, podcast, TV, online... I have such a recording, but dont know who are the actors, And would like to get i touch with them. thanks, love the forum
Posted By noslettres at Thu 24 Apr 2008, 8:28 AM in Maupassant, Guy de || 1 Reply
This's my 1st topic ,,, I need ur help :(
hi all :) what's up .. I hope that u r doin' well .. ^^" all the folk that I`ve an assignment ,, my Dr told us 2 submit't within next week ,, he told us to analyze the story ( The jewelry ) by Guy de Maupassant to mention whether its character , plot , theme , or setting .. I want't as soon as possible plllz :) accept my greetings ,, thaaaaaaaanQ ..
Posted By Nb's M!stress at Thu 20 Mar 2008, 9:02 AM in Maupassant, Guy de || 0 Replies
Err... excuse me
To whom it may concern: Has anyone read the de Maupassant story "The Necklace"? It's a well-written piece of prose and I'd like to see it on the Guy de Maupassant page here in www.online-literature.com. Respectfully yours.
Posted By johnlennon30 at Sat 8 Mar 2008, 5:12 AM in Maupassant, Guy de || 2 Replies
What's your favorite Guy de Maupassant story and why?
I love Maupassant. Something about the way he writes just has a strong emotional impact on me. He paints such a vivid picture with his words and I become completley absorbed into the story. One of my favorites of his is "The Horla, or modern ghosts". The darkness and insanity of the story is so intense, I couldn't stop reading it.
Posted By Metanoia at Tue 8 Jan 2008, 2:28 AM in Maupassant, Guy de || 3 Replies
Friends Sailing on the Seine with Girl
Does anyone know the title of Maupassant's short story about a group of young men who sail down the Seine with a woman they met? She is adored and loved by more than one of the young men...
Posted By betsygruy at Fri 4 Jan 2008, 11:33 PM in Maupassant, Guy de || 0 Replies
Does anybody knows the name of this short storie?
Hello! I read a storie about a woman who died and her husband, very sad, was walking and he went visit her grave. Suddenly all the corpses get out of their tombs, and wrote their epitaphs telling what they really did in life. And the woman wrote that she had went out with another man, and her husband didn't know that. I don't know the name of this storie and I can't find it here.. Anyone knows? I'll be glad if someone could help me.. Cheers!
Posted By Bia at Fri 21 Dec 2007, 9:18 PM in Maupassant, Guy de || 1 Reply
what is the title?
Long back I had read a story which I now vaguely remember. It was about a man wanting to buy a property from an old lady and she would refuse. Finally the man had devised a plan to get her to drink every night so that he could acquire the farm. what is the title? anyone?
Posted By iravadog at Thu 13 Dec 2007, 3:22 PM in Maupassant, Guy de || 1 Reply
short story about immortality
There is a de Maupassant short story about a small town that is offered immortality, which they accept, then understand the unintended consequences. Anybody know the title?
Posted By Joel91 at Sun 18 Nov 2007, 10:59 PM in Maupassant, Guy de || 0 Replies