Guy de Maupassant | Brief Biography
Guy de Maupassant | Brief Biography
Henri-Rene-Albert-Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a French author considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and a master of the genre. He was born in the town of Tourville-sur-Arques in Normandy, France, to Gustave and Laure de Maupassant. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a strong-willed woman who struggled with mental illness for most of her life.
De Maupassant grew up in a privileged home and was educated at the best schools in France, including the prestigious Lycée Pierre-Corneille in Rouen. After finishing his education, he joined the French army and served in the Franco-Prussian War.
Following the war, he worked as a clerk in the French Ministry of Marine, where he met Gustave Flaubert, one of the leading writers of the day. Flaubert became de Maupassant’s mentor and encouraged him to pursue a career as a writer. In 1880, de Maupassant published his first collection of short stories, “Boule de Suif” (“Ball of Fat”), which was well received by both the public and the critics.
Over the next decade, de Maupassant produced a series of novels and short stories that established him as one of the leading writers of his generation. He wrote about a wide range of subjects, including the complexities of relationships, the injustice of society, and the natural world. He is best known for his short stories, which were characterized by their conciseness, their attention to detail, and their ability to capture the essence of a moment.
De Maupassant’s writing was heavily influenced by his experiences and observations of life in France. He was a keen observer of the human condition and had a strong sense of social justice. Many of his stories dealt with the theme of human suffering and the ways in which people cope with it. He was also known for his naturalistic style, which sought to capture the realism of everyday life.
In addition to his writing, Guy de Maupassant was also a keen traveler and an avid reader. He spent much of his life traveling throughout Europe and was particularly fond of the countryside, which he often used as a setting for his stories.
Despite his success as a writer, de Maupassant’s personal life was plagued by hardship and tragedy. He suffered from chronic pain, which was likely a result of syphilis, and he struggled with depression and mental instability. He was eventually institutionalized and died in a psychiatric hospital in 1893 at the age of 42. 0 0 0.
Sources:
“Guy de Maupassant.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 9 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Guy-de-Maupassant.
“Guy de Maupassant.” The Literature Network, Jalic Inc, www.online-literature.com/guy-de-maupassant/.
“Guy de Maupassant.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_de_Maupassant. ***
N.B. The article originally belongs to the book entitled ‘Biographies of Writers Around the World‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
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