{"product_id":"bel-ami-1","title":"Bel Ami","description":"\u003cp\u003eGuy de Maupassant''s scandalous tale of an opportunistic young man corrupted by the allure of power, \u003ci\u003eBel-Ami\u003c\/i\u003e is translated with an introduction by Douglas Parmée in Penguin Classics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYoung, attractive and very ambitious, George Duroy, known to his admirers as Bel-Ami, is offered a job as a journalist on \u003ci\u003eLa Vie francaise\u003c\/i\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eBel-Ami\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003ebelle epoque\u003c\/i\u003e with wit, sensitivity and humanity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDouglas 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGuy 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you enjoyed \u003ci\u003eBel-Ami\u003c\/i\u003e, you might like William Makepeace Thackeray''s \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, also available in Penguin Classics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57320265974142,"sku":"NW9780140443158","price":10.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780140443158.jpg?v=1778237212","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/bel-ami-1","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}