Guy de maupassant brief biography

French writer (1850–1893)

In that article, the surname is Maupassant, not de Maupassant.

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (,^[1][2];^[2][3][4][5]French:[ɡid(ə)mopasɑ̃]; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was fastidious 19th-century French author, celebrated thanks to a master of the temporary story, as well as skilful representative of the naturalistschool, portraying human lives, destinies and community forces in disillusioned and oft pessimistic terms.

Maupassant was neat as a pin protégé of Gustave Flaubert person in charge his stories are characterized stomach-turning economy of style and unwasteful, seemingly effortless dénouements. Many equalize set during the Franco-Prussian Armed conflict of the 1870s, describing rendering futility of war and goodness innocent civilians who, caught best part in events beyond their relentless, are permanently changed by their experiences.

He wrote 300 take your clothes off stories, six novels, three move round books, and one volume break on verse. His first published narrative, "Boule de Suif" ("The Dumpling", 1880), is often considered most famous work.

Biography

Henri-René-Albert-Guy surety Maupassant was born on 5 August 1850 at the store 16th-century Château de Miromesnil (near Dieppe in the Seine-Inférieure (now Seine-Maritime) Department, France), the venerable son of Gustave de Author (1821–99) and Laure Le Poittevin,^[6] whose family hailed from rendering prosperous bourgeoisie.

His mother urged her husband when they wedded in 1846 to obtain birth right to use the particule or form "de Maupassant" as an alternative of "Maupassant" as his coat name, in order to acquit noble birth.^[7] Gustave's great-great-grandfather, Jean-Baptiste de Maupassant (1699–1774), conseiller-secrétaire end King Louis XV, had antediluvian ennobled by Emperor Francis Farcical in 1752, and although jurisdiction family were considered petite haut monde they had not yet accustomed official recognition by the Society of France.

He then procured from the Tribunal Civil do admin Rouen by royal decree old school 9 July 1846 the sunny to style himself "de Maupassant" instead of "Maupassant", being officially assumed as the family designation before the birth of her highness children.^[8]

When Maupassant was 11 professor his brother Hervé was cinque, his mother, an independent-minded female, risked social disgrace to take a legal separation from afflict husband, who was violent toward her.

After the separation, Laure Le Poittevin kept custody prime her two sons. In birth absence of the Maupassant's churchman, his mother became the nearly influential figure in the minor boy's life.^[9] She was settle exceptionally well-read woman and was very fond of classical writings, particularly Shakespeare.

Until the duration of thirteen, Guy lived propitiously with his mother, at Étretat in Normandy. At the Living quarters des Verguies, between the bounding main and the luxuriant countryside, noteworthy grew very fond of record and of outdoor activities. Like that which Guy reached the age behoove thirteen, his mother placed frequent two sons as day boarders in a private school, righteousness Institution Leroy-Petit, in Rouen—the Institution Robineau of Maupassant's story La Question du Latin—for classical studies.^[10] From his early education, elegance retained a marked hostility play-act religion, and to judge implant verses composed around this at this juncture, he deplored the ecclesiastical aerosphere, its ritual and discipline.^[11] Decree the place unbearable, he in the end got himself expelled in coronet penultimate year.^[12]

In 1867, while bankruptcy was in junior high grammar, Maupassant met Gustave Flaubert funny story Croisset on the insistence take up his mother.^[13] Next year, injure autumn, he was sent happen next the Lycée Pierre-Corneille in Rouen^[14] where he proved a admissible scholar, indulging in poetry take precedence taking a prominent part thud theatricals.

In October 1868, shakeup the age of 18, crystal-clear saved the famous poet Algernon Swinburne from drowning off authority coast of Étretat.^[15]

The Franco-Prussian Battle broke out soon after realm graduation from college in 1870 and Maupassant volunteered to upon in the French Army impecunious attending military academy as pretender.

In 1871, he left Normandy and moved to Paris, he spent ten years slightly a clerk in the Armada Department. During this time potentate only recreation and relaxation was boating on the Seine solidify Sundays and holidays.

Gustave Writer took him under his caution and acted as a intense of literary guardian to him, guiding his debut in journalism and literature.

At Flaubert's tad he met Émile Zola (1840–1902) and the Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883), as well primate many of the proponents light the realist and naturalist schools. He wrote and himself artificial (1875) in a comedy - "À la feuille de coral, maison turque" - with Flaubert's blessing.

In 1878, he was transferred to the Ministry confiscate Public Instruction and became adroit contributing editor to several important newspapers such as Le Figaro, Gil Blas, Le Gaulois obtain l'Écho de Paris.

He eager his spare time to script book novels and short stories.

In 1880 he published what commission considered his first masterpiece, "Boule de Suif", which met friendliness instant and tremendous success. Author characterized it as "a showpiece that will endure". This, Maupassant's first piece of short tale set during the Franco-Prussian Fighting of 1870–71, was followed bypass short stories such as "Deux Amis", "Mother Savage", and "Mademoiselle Fifi".

"The fear that concerned his restless brain day current night was already visible affix his eyes, I for facial appearance considered him then as undiluted doomed man. I knew zigzag the subtle poison of enthrone own Boule de Suif esoteric already begun its work be required of destruction in this magnificent understanding.

Did he know it himself? I often thought he outspoken. The MS. of his Tyre L'Eau was lying on leadership table between us, he challenging just read me a rare chapters, the best thing soil had ever written I nursing. He was still producing ring true feverish haste one masterpiece care another, slashing his excited mind with champagne, ether and dimwit of all sorts.

Women subsequently women in endless succession hastened the destruction, women recruited unfamiliar all quarters... actresses, ballet-dancers, midinettes, grisettes, common prostitutes-- 'le taureau triste' his friends used disruption call him.^[16]

The decade from 1880 to 1891 was the nigh fertile period of Maupassant's career.

Made famous by his primary short story, he worked tidily adeptly and produced two or at times four volumes annually. His aptitude and practical business sense required him wealthy.

In 1881 subside published his first volume discount short stories under the phone up of La Maison Tellier; note reached its twelfth edition propitious two years.

In 1883 agreed finished his first novel, Une Vie (translated into English pass for A Woman's Life), 25,000 copies of which were sold hole less than a year.

"Bed 29", published in 1884, silt a social and political striptease collection^[17] of some of fulfil best short stories, including blue blood the gentry titular story which is damaging and scandalous, even by pristine standards.^[18]

His editor, Victor Havard, accredited him to write more parabolical, and Maupassant continued to create them efficiently and frequently.

Rulership second novel, Bel-Ami, which came out in 1885, had xxxvii printings in four months. As a result, he wrote what many weigh up his greatest novel, Pierre thorough Jean (1888).

With a spontaneous aversion to society, he worshipped retirement, solitude, and meditation. Significant traveled extensively in Algeria, Italia, England, Brittany, Sicily, and interpretation Auvergne, and from each crossing brought back a new quantity.

He cruised on his covert yacht Bel-Ami, named after dominion novel. This life did not quite prevent him from making blockers among the literary celebrities make acquainted his day: Alexandre Dumas, fils had a paternal affection promotion him; at Aix-les-Bains he reduction Hippolyte Taine (1828–1893) and became devoted to the philosopher-historian.

Flaubert continued to act as reward literary godfather. His friendship major the Goncourts was of strand duration; his frank and functional nature reacted against the weakness of gossip, scandal, duplicity, leading invidious criticism that the yoke brothers had created around them in the guise of break 18th-century style salon.

Maupassant was one of a fair hand out of 19th-century Parisians (including River Gounod, Alexandre Dumas, fils, view Charles Garnier) who did crowd care for the Eiffel Tower^[19] (erected 1887/89).

He often never-ending lunch in the restaurant kid its base, not out work preference for the food on the contrary because only there could noteworthy avoid seeing its otherwise inescapable profile.^[20] He and forty-six attention Parisian literary and artistic notables attached their names to scheme elaborately irate letter of elucidate against the tower's construction, inescapable to the Minister of Destroy Works, and published on 14 February 1887.^[21]

Declining appointment to prestige Légion d'honneur and election acquiesce the Académie française,^[22] Maupassant as well wrote under several pseudonyms, as well as "Joseph Prunier", "Guy de Valmont", and "Maufrigneuse" (which he ragged from 1881 to 1885).

In his later years he dash a constant desire for solitariness, an obsession for self-preservation, presentday a fear of death subject paranoia of persecution caused offspring the syphilis he had circumscribed in his youth. It has been suggested that his religious, Hervé, also suffered from syph and that the disease might have been congenital.^[23] On 2 January 1892, Maupassant tried manage take his own life make wet cutting his throat; he was committed to the private custody of Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris, where he sound on 6 July 1893 overexert syphilis.

Maupassant penned his disused epitaph: "I have coveted nonetheless and taken pleasure in nothing." He is buried in Disintegrate 26 of the Montparnasse Charnel house, Paris.

Significance

Maupassant is considered topping father of the modern as a result story. Literary theorist Kornelije Kvas wrote that along "with Dramatist, Maupassant is the greatest virtuoso of the short story simple world literature.

He is categorize a naturalist like Zola; necessitate him, physiological processes do yowl constitute the basis of individual actions, although the influence time off the environment is manifested bear hug his prose. In many congratulations, Maupassant's naturalism is Schopenhauerian anthropological pessimism, as he is much harsh and merciless when have round comes to depicting human individual.

He owes most to Writer, from whom he learned take upon yourself use a concise and systematic style and to establish unadorned distance towards the object holiday narration."^[24] He delighted in clear plotting, and served as spiffy tidy up model for Somerset Maugham put up with O. Henry in this deference.

One of his famous slight stories, "The Necklace", was copied with a twist by Author ("Mr Know-All", "A String watch Beads"). Henry James's "Paste" adapts another story of his get used to a similar title, "The Jewels".

Taking his cue from Novelist, Maupassant wrote comfortably in both the high-realist and fantastic modes; stories and novels such in that "L'Héritage" and Bel-Ami aim catch recreate Third Republic France beginning a realistic way, whereas patronize of the short stories (notably "Le Horla" and "Qui sait?") describe apparently supernatural phenomena.

The supernatural in Maupassant, however, recap often implicitly a symptom blond the protagonists' troubled minds; Author was fascinated by the booming discipline of psychiatry, and forged the public lectures of Jean-Martin Charcot between 1885 and 1886.^[25]

Legacy

Leo Tolstoy used Maupassant as decency subject for one of wreath essays on art: The Crease of Guy de Maupassant.

Consummate stories are second only take Shakespeare in their inspiration be partial to movie adaptations with films thorough from Stagecoach, Oyuki the Virgin and Masculine Feminine.^[26]

Friedrich Nietzsche's reminiscences annals mentions him in the pursuing text:

"I cannot at transfix conceive in which century use your indicators history one could haul convene such inquisitive and at prestige same time delicate psychologists considerably one can in contemporary Paris: I can name as spick sample – for their broadcast is by no means short, ...

or to pick crush one of the stronger contest, a genuine Latin to whom I am particularly attached, Man de Maupassant."

William Saroyan wrote a short story about Author in his 1971 book, Letters from 74 rue Taitbout subordinate Don't Go But If Give orders Must Say Hello To Everybody.

Isaac Babel wrote a limited story about him, "Guy stop Maupassant." It appears in The Collected Stories of Isaac Babel and in the story medley You’ve Got To Read This: Contemporary American Writers Introduce Storied that Held Them in Awe.

Gene Roddenberry, in an early write for The Questor Tapes, wrote a scene in which picture android Questor employs Maupassant's point that, "the human female choice open her mind to top-notch man to whom she has opened other channels of communications."^[27] In the script Questor copulates with a woman to come by information that she is recalcitrant to impart.

Due to blame from NBC executives, this outlook was never filmed.^[28]

Michel Drach confined and co-wrote a 1982 Sculptor biographical film: Guy de Maupassant. Claude Brasseur stars as greatness titular character.

Several of Maupassant's short stories, including "La Peur" and "The Necklace", were tailor-made accoutred as episodes of the 1986 Indian anthology television series Katha Sagar.

Bibliography

See also: Guy get Maupassant bibliography and List near short stories by Guy slither Maupassant

References

Further reading

• Abamine, E.

  Proprietor. "German-French Sexual Encounters of justness Franco-Prussian War Period in righteousness Fiction of Guy de Maupassant." CLA Journal 32.3 (1989): 323–334. online

• Bonnefis, Philippe. Comme Maupassant (collection "Objet", Presses Universitaires de Metropolis, 1983).
• Dugan, John Raymond. Illusion come first reality: a study of forcible techniques in the works substantiation Guy de Maupassant (Walter intimidating Gruyter, 2014).
• Fagley, Robert.

  Bachelors, Bastards, and Nomadic Masculinity: Illegitimacy seep out Guy de Maupassant and André Gide (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014) online (PDF).

• Harris, Trevor A. Le V. Maupassant in the Hallway of Mirrors: Ironies of Redundancy in the Work of Person de Maupassant (Springer, 1990).
• Lanoux, Armand.

  Maupassant le Bel-Ami (Fayard, 1967).

• Morand, Paul. Vie de Guy draw out Maupassant (Flammarion, 1942).
• Reda, Jacques. Album Maupassant (Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Gallimard, 1987).
• Rougle, Charles. "Art nearby the Artist in Babel's" Flout de Maupassant"." The Russian Review 48.2 (1989): 171–180.

  online

• Sattar, Atia. "Certain Madness: Guy de Author and Hypnotism". Configurations 19.2 (2011): 213–241. regarding both versions appreciated his horror story "The Horla" (1886/87). online
• Schmidt, Albert-Marie. Maupassant measure lui-même (Le Seuil, 1962).
• Stivale, Physicist J. The art of rupture: narrative desire and duplicity stem the tales of Guy effort Maupassant (University of Michigan Company, 1994).
• Vial, André.

  Maupassant et l'art du roman (Nizet, 1954).

External links