One of the most famous French writers, the author of world masterpieces whose popularity is timeless, is Guy de Maupassant. The biography of this character, like the fate of his heroes, is full of cruelty and truthfulness. This man was not afraid to portray human vices that he himself possessed.
Happy childhood on the coast
The writer's homeland was Upper Normandy, which is located in the northwestern part of France. A prose writer was born on August 5, 1850, in the castle of Miromenil, which stands in the vicinity of the picturesque town of Dieppe.
The father of the master came from an impoverished noble family. As a wife, he took a girl named Laura le Poitvin, whose family belonged to the middle bourgeois class. The couple madly loved each other, and the first years of
family life were very happy.
Guy de Maupassant lived a cheerful and carefree childhood. The biography of the boy was closely related to the sea. Often he played with peasant children on the sandy shore, quickly learned to swim, skillfully fished and even went sailing. Thanks to these memoirs, such works as “Hand”, “Rope”, “In the Peasant Court”, “Drowned Man” were later written.
Clash with reality
In 1856, another boy appeared in the family. Herve, Guy’s brother, suffered from a mental illness from birth. The writer’s mother had similar problems. Laura was ill with neurosis and depression.
Over the next years, the atmosphere in their small house changed. The constant revelry life of his father led to divorce. A woman with children moved. It was at this time that an especially close relationship arose between mother and son. Laura became the man whom Guy de Maupassant unquestioningly obeyed.
A short biography tells about the years of his training. At the request of the mother, the boy went to a theological seminary. She believed that such a profession could provide her child with a comfortable future life. But there, the guy manifests himself as a bully and a lazy person, constantly criticizing not only the education system, but also the religion itself. For bad behavior, he is excluded.
Literature as the goal of life
It was at this age that he took his first steps toward verbal art and wrote simple poems. Mother supported his passion. Laura was a fan of literature, read a lot and talked with the geniuses of the pen of that time. It was she who contributed to the acquaintance of her son with Flaubert. He became a mentor and provoked the style in which Guy de Maupassant wrote. The biography and work of the writer were closely associated with this person.
Next, the young man enters the Rouen Lyceum. Here they spoke of him as a capable and talented student. The guy is fond of literature, participates in the production of plays.
Having received a diploma in 1869, at the insistence of her mother, she goes to Paris to study law. But he is not destined to be a lawyer. In 1870, enlisted as a volunteer and departed for the Franco-Prussian War.
Stall soil
Invincible France fell under German pressure. A year later, the young man returned to the occupied native lands. For a long time, the local working class rebelled against the established order, and the new government brutally cracked down on them. Guy de Maupassant saw all these bloody events. A brief biography pays little attention to his mental health, but if you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that a man worth a lot of effort should not lose his mind.
The tendency to nervous breakdowns, depression and psychosis was transmitted to him from his mother. The real miracle was that Guy did not lose control of himself and was able to live a normal life, unlike his brother Herve, who spent a lot of time in a mental hospital. The man struggled with the disease exercises that he performed to maintain physical health.
Political changes did not allow to obtain a law degree. The financial situation of the family also shook. The romantic young man disappeared, and instead of him appeared the cruel cynic Guy de Maupassant. His biography testifies: in order to support the family, the man got a job as an official. Later, in each of his works, this part of life was present.
"Foster father"
At this place he worked for ten long years. In 1872, in a conversation with Guy’s mother, he admits that the official’s everyday life weighs on him, he misses literature. Laura responded with sympathy. The woman decides that Gustave Flaubert will help her son. The prose writer was a good friend of her late brother. He cordially undertook to introduce young talent into the difficult world of literature.
Flaubert himself had a lot of negative habits. Subsequently, Guy de Maupassant took over them. The biography (a photo of the two geniuses of France can be seen in the material) of the writer since then has been closely associated with his famous teacher.
Maupassant and Flaubert
It is worth noting that among the people there were many stories about the relationship of this writer with the aforementioned family. Most of them were negative. People said that Flaubert and Laura were secret lovers, from whose meetings Guy was born. They also gossiped about the old writer’s love for a young genius. But not one of the rumors was confirmed.
Under the strict guidance of a mentor, Maupassant worked passionately. He spent several hours a day writing and met with the teacher every week to report. Flaubert criticized mercilessly, faithfully corrected and skillfully redirected everything written by the student. The old mentor did not allow publication until the work was perfect.
Later, more and more often in newspapers appeared works with the signature "Guy de Maupassant." The biography of his career began in 1880, with the publication of the short story “Pyshka”.
Takeoff in literature
The first work brought real success to young talent. The story tells of a puffy French prostitute. She is exceptionally kind and innocent. On the road, the crew breaks down. A woman and her carriage neighbors stop at the inn. There, a Prussian officer peeks at the crust. The lady refuses him.
Friends on the crew welcome the patriotism of the woman and strongly support her spirit. But while she resists, departure is postponed. It turns out that the officer forbade the release of the frivolous girl, and with her, and her new acquaintances. Under the onslaught of the fellow countrymen, the duster spends the night with the military. The next day, she suffers from the judgmental glances of her comrades yesterday.
The theme of human baseness was shown in this work by the author. Each written hero is himself. His characters still attract the public with their inherent ambitions and thirst for life. Sincere and frank was with the reader Guy de Maupassant.
A biography by dates is described at the end of the article, but for now let's move on to the final stage of the writer’s life.
Void and death
In 1880, Flaubert, the best friend and mentor of Maupassant, dies. Further, the writer works independently.
Known for his passion, Maupassant had many lovers and three children whom he never recognized. A man travels a lot on a ship under the name of the book of the same name - “Dear friend”. From these travels, he brings new, exciting works. Increasingly, the master is secluded. He is tormented by insanity and syphilis, which he contracted when he was young. Having attempted suicide, he finally loses common sense. The writer died on July 6, 1893.
Year | Event |
1850, August 5 | Birth |
1856 | Brother Herve was born |
1860 | After the parents divorced, the family moved to the town of Etretat |
1863 | Studying at a theological seminary |
1869 | Goes to Paris to study law |
1870 | Enrolled in the army |
1872 | Powered by Flaubert |
1877 | Infected with syphilis |
1877 | I started writing the work “Life”. Worked on it for 6 years |
1885 | Writes a story about a hypocrite who achieves success in a dirty way - “Dear friend” |
1887 | Creates Mont-Oriol, a Complicated Story of Love and Fidelity |
1888 | Published a novel in the style of traditional French literature, Pierre and Jean |
1889 | He continues to reveal the secrets of the then society in his work “Strong as Death” |
1890 | Shows the whole depth of human psychology in "Our Heart" |
1892 | Commits suicide attempt |
1893, July 6 | Dies in a mental hospital |
With this table, we summed up the life of such a writer as Guy de Maupassant. A chronological table (a biography is not completely presented in it) will help to trace the main stages of his life.