Bel-Ami

Bel-Ami
AuthorGuy de Maupassant
Original titleBel-Ami
IllustratorFerdinand Bac
LanguageFrench
GenreLiterary realism
PublisherPaul Ollendorff
Publication date
1885
Publication placeFrance
Published in English
1903
Pages394
843.8
LC ClassPZ3 .M445
Original text
Bel-Ami at French Wikisource
TranslationBel-Ami at Wikisource

Bel-Ami ([bɛlami], "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel first appeared in 1903.

The story chronicles journalist Georges Duroy's corrupt rise to power from a poor former cavalry NCO in France's African colonies, to one of the most successful men in Paris, most of which he achieves by manipulating a series of powerful, intelligent, and wealthy women.