This is the first book I borrowed in a Perth library after I moved here from Tasmania; to be precise, I borrowed this book from the Mundaring Library. Through the eyes of Bel-Ami, Georges Duroy’s nickname, given to him by the daughter of one of his mistresses, I get to know Paris in 1885. The book was published in the year when Victor Hugo died. Set in a society of decadence, ordinary people struggled to make a living while those in power tried to benefit as much as they could by moving close to the political arena. What better way is it for one to obtain inside information in the name of journalism? As a reporter and later the chief-editor of La Vie française, Bel-Ami delved into state secrets that helped his boss make huge financial gains. This would, of course, have been impossible without the assistance of his women. His long-term mistress, Clotilde gave him money in his early days of destitute. His first wife, Madeleine coached him to write articles for the newspaper when he was newly employed by her first husband, Forestier. Later, he had another mistress, Madame Walter and a second wife, Suzanne, who were ironically wife and daughter of his boss, the Jew who owned the paper. These women supplied him with both sensual pleasure and intelligence of the French government. Without a question, writing the plot of the story in its summary form now makes Georges an immoral, anti-hero, but as I was reading the book, I did not actually abhor his behaviour. Even though he is a downright schemer, I made excuses for him, considering it natural for someone from a peasant background to turn himself into a careerist. This had to be De Maupassant’s intention to win his reader’s sympathy too. I am not sure to what extent were the raw materials taken from the author’s life, but the fact that he had been diagnosed with syphilis must have had a part to play. De Maupassant could possibly be making his protest against fate through Bel-Ami. Despite his strong desire for success, Georges led a life of futility. Every time when he was placed on a pedestal, no other images came to his mind than his humble parents or his silly and playful mistress. If these are, after all, the things that matter to him, what is the use of struggling so hard in life when a person most wants is a simple life?
Bel-Ami is a longish book of 400 odd pages, but because of skillful characterization and interesting dialogues, I find it very engaging and easy to finish. Douglas Parmée wrote in 1974 that some parts of the novel could be individually read as short stories. I partly agree with his view. Not only could these episodes be read independently as they are, there are threads that connect them in such a way that reflects what goes on in life. The people you meet and the events that happen every day in life might appear unrelated, but together they weave and make a life whole, whether it is a good or a bad one.