Bel Ami, written at the height of Guy de Maupassant’s powers, is a classic novel of seduction, intrigue, and ruthless social climbing in belle époque Paris.

Georges Duroy is a down-and-out journalist from a humble background who engineers a stunning rise to the top of Parisian society through his relationships with influential and wealthy women. Making the most of his charm and good looks (his admirers nickname him “Bel Ami”), Duroy exploits the weaknesses of others to his own advantage—in the process betraying the woman who has most selflessly supported him. Published in 1885, Bel Ami is not only a vivid portrait of a glamorously corrupt and long-vanished Paris, but also a strikingly modern exposé of the destructiveness of unconstrained ambition, sex, and power.

Translated from the French by Ernest Boyd

莫泊桑（Guy de Maupassant）,生于法国诺曼底一个没落的贵族家庭,童年在诺曼底乡村度过,青少年时期在鲁昂中学就读,1869年到巴黎学习法律。1870年普法战争爆发后,莫泊桑应征入伍。战争结束后,他回到巴黎,先后就职于海军部和教育部,业余开始从事文学创作,并得益于文学大师福楼拜的教诲。经过苦心锤炼,莫泊桑的文学创作技巧日趋成熟。1880年,莫泊桑因《羊脂球》而一举成名,此后,他辞去公职,笔耕不辍。但私生活上的随意导致了他身体上的疾病,加上精神疾病的困扰,最终使他病魔缠身。莫泊桑曾于1892年自杀未遂,翌年在巴黎去世。莫泊桑的创作生涯虽然短暂,然而作品颇丰。在短短的十余年间,他共完成了三百多篇短篇小说,被誉为“短篇小说之王”。此外他还创作了《一生》、《俊友》等6部长篇小说。莫泊桑的写作素材来源于生活,他对日常生活和周围事物的观察和体验细致而独特。莫泊桑的小说题材丰富,描绘了一幅幅生动的法国社会生活画卷,既有乡村故事,也有市井生活。在他的作品里,贵族、官僚、商贾、公务员、工人、农民,甚至流浪汉、乞丐、娼妓等各种人物形象无不栩栩如生跃然纸上。跟随着作家或嘲讽或同情、或冷峻或热忱、或诙谐或凝重的笔触,我们不仅可以欣尝人生百态、认识世间万象,更会产生深刻的思考。莫泊桑的语言风格简洁而优美,生动而形象,清晰而犀利。