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Maupassant
Studies the nineteenth-century French writer's life, works, and times, evaluating the development of his career and the achievement of his work within the contexts of his social milieu and his private sorrows
- Genres20th Century
301 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
March 6, 2023
Cinematic perfection: "Le Plaisir," 3 stories of pleasure and wayward love fr Maupassant by the great Max Ophuls, 1952. Jean Gabin, Simone Simon and other French stars. Seeing this again, and rereading the formidable Guy de M, I realized that I know so very little of his life. This volume is one of two that I could find, first published in 1975. Author Lerner says we know almost nothing of his life as papers and various materials were destroyed at this death in 1893, when he was only 42.
His mother was a feisty, independent woman who made certain Flaubert became Guy's devoted mentor, which moved the young man from civil service clerkdom to literary fame. During his lifetime many wondered if Flaubert, indeed, was Guy's "real" father; Edmond de Goncourt indicates in his journals that this was probably true. Author Lerner tries to dismiss the subject. Lerner gives the background and social canvas of Paris, and some passages are written extremely well, but - at times - I think he has a tumor pressing on his brain.
That Maupassant died from a virulent strain of syphilis is a known fact (so did Guy's younger brother). Yet Lerner repeats throughout his tome that "the nervous temperament he inherited from his mother proved to be his undoing." Ehh? Lerner's tumor is constantly acting up, again and again. Yet, mind you, he spends over 12 pages on how syphilis was ripping Maupassant apart. (His mother seems to have had the pox, too).
Guy grew up comfortably near and around Dieppe, Etretat and Fecamp. Father Gustave had aristocratic tastes and dandyish manners, but Guy was not a slight, dreamy lad. He developed a brawny physique as a skilled sailor handling all kinds of boats. He was rather shy, always pleasant and remained focused on becoming a writer, turning out dozens of stories and several novels. "Une Vie" is said to touch on aspects of his mother's life. In the late 1880s, when he owned houses and a yacht, he was taken up by grand ladies and titled gentlemen. Author Lerner says he had, while unmarried, 2 daughters -- or did I imagine this fact? It only takes up one line. He was probably in his early 20s when infected.
The Maupassant stories -- now classic literature -- give a shimmering brilliance to the form, and influenced both Henry James and Somerset Maugham. Trying to protect his reputation from the rumors of insanity (at time of his death), his devoted mum threw a veil of secrecy over his private life. Maupassant himself said that what he wrote belongs to the public, "but nothing relating to my person should be divulged."
His mother was a feisty, independent woman who made certain Flaubert became Guy's devoted mentor, which moved the young man from civil service clerkdom to literary fame. During his lifetime many wondered if Flaubert, indeed, was Guy's "real" father; Edmond de Goncourt indicates in his journals that this was probably true. Author Lerner tries to dismiss the subject. Lerner gives the background and social canvas of Paris, and some passages are written extremely well, but - at times - I think he has a tumor pressing on his brain.
That Maupassant died from a virulent strain of syphilis is a known fact (so did Guy's younger brother). Yet Lerner repeats throughout his tome that "the nervous temperament he inherited from his mother proved to be his undoing." Ehh? Lerner's tumor is constantly acting up, again and again. Yet, mind you, he spends over 12 pages on how syphilis was ripping Maupassant apart. (His mother seems to have had the pox, too).
Guy grew up comfortably near and around Dieppe, Etretat and Fecamp. Father Gustave had aristocratic tastes and dandyish manners, but Guy was not a slight, dreamy lad. He developed a brawny physique as a skilled sailor handling all kinds of boats. He was rather shy, always pleasant and remained focused on becoming a writer, turning out dozens of stories and several novels. "Une Vie" is said to touch on aspects of his mother's life. In the late 1880s, when he owned houses and a yacht, he was taken up by grand ladies and titled gentlemen. Author Lerner says he had, while unmarried, 2 daughters -- or did I imagine this fact? It only takes up one line. He was probably in his early 20s when infected.
The Maupassant stories -- now classic literature -- give a shimmering brilliance to the form, and influenced both Henry James and Somerset Maugham. Trying to protect his reputation from the rumors of insanity (at time of his death), his devoted mum threw a veil of secrecy over his private life. Maupassant himself said that what he wrote belongs to the public, "but nothing relating to my person should be divulged."
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