5 h 48 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 48 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if good looks open every door, and conscience only gets in the way?
On a summer evening in Paris, Georges Duroy has a few coins left and little to offer beyond his looks. He wants wealth, status and the admiration of women. When his old army comrade Charles Forestier offers him a chance at the newspaper La Vie Française, Duroy finds a way into a world where charm can be spent like cash.
In Guy de Maupassant’s Bel Ami; Or, The History of a Scoundrel, ambition moves between newspaper offices, political salons and private relationships. Madeleine Forestier helps Duroy write and understand power. Clotilde de Marelle becomes his lover. Around them, editors sell opinions and politicians trade on rumor. Duroy learns quickly, while Maupassant leaves you to judge what his progress costs.
What you’ll discover
- Charm without conscience Follow a handsome outsider who wants everything and owes loyalty only to himself.
- News as a weapon Enter La Vie Française, where business interests and political power shape the paper.
- Women who understand power Meet Madeleine and Clotilde, whose intelligence and independence complicate Duroy’s pursuit of status.
- Paris behind its manners Step into salons where influence, money and desire meet beneath polite conversation.
- Judgment without a sermon Stay close to Duroy’s wants while deciding for yourself what kind of man he is.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy portraits of ambition, social climbers in glittering cities, and intrigue in journalism and politics will love this novel. It also suits those drawn to flawed heroes, love affairs, money and society seen with cool clarity.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A hungry soldier finds the way in
- A man who cannot write finds help
- Flattery, pears and a duel
- A sickroom shows him what he wants
- Women become the steps of his ladder
- Money, rank and appearances rule Paris
- Mirrors, death and a cool narrator
Who’s who
- Georges DuroyA poor former hussar with good looks and no scruples, he wants wealth, rank and a place at the top of Paris.
- Charles ForestierAn old army comrade turned political journalist, he gives Duroy his first chance and grows ill and bitter.
- Madeleine ForestierCharles's clever wife writes much of his work, runs a political circle and wants a marriage of equals.
- Clotilde de MarelleA lively, free-spirited married woman, she becomes Duroy's lover and adopts the nickname her daughter gives him.
- M. WalterThe financier and deputy who owns La Vie Française wants more power and wealth.
- Madame WalterThe owner's devout, gentle wife takes a liking to Duroy and helps his rise.
- Norbert de VarenneAn older poet who reminds Duroy that life ends in death and that fame is brief.
- Jacques RivalA celebrated writer and duelist, he guides Duroy through his first duel.
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- Hardcover
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Bel-Ami, ovvero la storia di un farabutto
by Guy de Maupassant · 1885
A penniless ex-soldier with three francs and a handsome face sets out to conquer Paris through its newspapers.
Easy read5–10 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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In short
On June twenty-eighth, Georges Duroy has only three francs left to last the month. That means two dinners and no lunches, or two lunches and no dinners.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A hungry soldier finds the way in
The novel opens with a man counting coins. Georges Duroy must choose between a beer tonight and a meal tomorrow. He scowls at the men at the café tables and mutters that they are scoundrels. Maupassant lets you feel his hunger and his anger in the first pages.
Duroy has little education and no connections. He spent two years in Africa with the hussars, where he and two friends raided Arab villages for chickens and money. Now he works in a railway office for fifteen hundred francs a year. His one asset is his looks, tall, fair and mustached, like the hero of a cheap romance.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1885
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 3 h 45 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Maupassant, Guy de. Bel Ami; Or, The History of a Scoundrel. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bel-ami-or-the-history-of-a-scoundrel.
Maupassant, G. de. (2026). Bel Ami; or, the history of a scoundrel. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bel-ami-or-the-history-of-a-scoundrel (Original work published 1885)
Maupassant, Guy de. Bel Ami; Or, The History of a Scoundrel. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bel-ami-or-the-history-of-a-scoundrel.
@book{maupassant2026bel,
author = {Maupassant, Guy de},
title = {Bel Ami; Or, The History of a Scoundrel},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bel-ami-or-the-history-of-a-scoundrel},
note = {First published 1885}
}
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What is Bel Ami about?
It follows Georges Duroy, a poor former soldier, as he rises through the Paris newspaper world using charm, borrowed help and the affection of several women. Maupassant shows a society where appearance and connections count for more than merit.
Why is Georges Duroy called Bel Ami?
Laurine, the small daughter of his lover Madame de Marelle, first calls him Bel Ami, which means handsome friend. Her mother adopts it, and soon people throughout his circle, including his employer, use the name.
Who are the main characters in Bel Ami?
The main figures are Georges Duroy, his friend Charles Forestier, Forestier's wife Madeleine, his lover Clotilde de Marelle, and the newspaper owner M. Walter with his wife. Rival and the poet Varenne appear along the way.
The author
Guy de Maupassant
1850–1893 · French novelist and story writer
Guy de Maupassant was a French writer born in Normandy in 1850. He wrote short stories and novels, including A Woman’s Life (1883), Bel-Ami (1885), The Horla (1887), and Pierre and Jean (1888). He lived in France, worked as a government clerk in Paris, and died in Paris in 1893.
More by Guy de Maupassant
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