Kaunis Ystävä
1885
A novel written in the late 19th century. The story primarily revolves around the main character, Georges Duroy, a former non-commissioned officer who struggles with poverty in Paris. The novel explores themes of ambition, seduction, and social climbing as Duroy navigates the complexities of desire and the pursuit of wealth. At the start of the novel, we meet Georges Duroy as he leaves a restaurant with mere pocket change, contemplating his financial situation as summer heat weighs heavily on the city of Paris. Duroy's observations reveal his mix of ambition and desperation as he fantasizes about improving his circumstances, which leads him to think of the alluring women he encounters on his way. When he unexpectedly reunites with an old army companion, Forestier, their conversation transitions from casual pleasantries to a proposal that hints at a new opportunity in the world of journalism, thereby offering Duroy a potential escape from his monotonous life. The opening sets a tone of contrast between Duroy's current struggles and the sophisticated, vibrant world he aspires to enter.
Editions
X-Ray
“Life is a slope. As long as you're going up you're always looking towards the top and you feel happy, but when you reach it, suddenly you can see the road going downhill and death at the end of it all. It's slow going up and quick going down.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“The only certainty is death.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“We breathe, sleep, drink, eat, work and then die! The end of life is death. What do you long for? Love? A few kisses and you will be powerless. Money? What for? To gratify your desires. Glory? What coems after it all? Death! Death alone is certain.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“In fact living is dying.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Les paroles d'amour, qui sont toujours les mêmes, prennent le goût des lèvres dont elles sortent.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“In the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Yes, this is the only good thing in life: love! To hold a woman you love in your arms! That is the ultimate in human happiness.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“It's not difficult to appear bright, don't worry. The main thing is never to show obvious ignorance of anything. You prevaricate, avoid the difficulty, steer clear of the problem and then catch other people out by using a dictionary. All men are stupid oafs and ignorant nincompoops.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“It was one of those bitter mornings when the whole of nature is shiny, brittle, and hard, like crystal. The trees, decked out in frost, seem to have sweated ice; the earth resounds beneath one's feet; the tiniest sounds carry a long way in the dry air; the blue sky is bright as a mirror, and the sun moves through space in icy brilliance, casting on the frozen world rays which bestow no warmth upon anything.””
— Guy de Maupassant
