Maupassant, Guy de |
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BORN 5 Aug 1850, Miromesnil (castle in Seine-Maritime) - DIED 6 Jul 1893, Paris: Esprit Blanche asylum BIRTH NAME Maupassant, Henri René Albert Guy de CAUSE OF DEATH syphilis (consequences of) GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière du Montparnasse, 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet (division 26) |
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Guy de Maupassant is remembered for his 300 short stories. His parents both came from wealthy families, but his mother, the well read Laure Le Poittevin, filed for divorce when he was eleven years old. He was educated at a private school in Rouen but his hostility to religion led to his expellation. In 1867 he met Gustave Flaubert and in 1868 he saved Algernon Swinburne from drowning near Étretat. In 1870 he volunteered during the Franco-Prussian War. In 1871 he went to Paris where worked in the Navy Department as a clerk. At Flaubert's home he met Émile Zola and Ivan Turgenev and 1875 he wrote the comedy "À la feuille de rose, maison turque" in which he played himself. From 1878 onwards he worked for the Ministry of Public Instruction and he wrote for several newspapers. In 1880 he published "Boule de Suif" which was an instant success. Flaubert called it a masterpiece. From 1880 tot 1891 he produced many stories and selling them made him a wealthy man. Later in his life he preferred solitude. He suffered since his youth from syphilis and in 1892 he tried to kill himself by cutrting his throat. He was locked up in the Esprit Blanche asylum in Passy and there he died in 1893. Related persons • corresponded with Bashkirtseff, Maria • visited Daudet-Allard, Julia • was the lover of Roosevelt, Blanche |
| Images |
 The grave of Guy de Maupassant at the Cimetière Montparnasse, Paris. Picture by Androom (18 Feb 2016) |
Sources • Culbertson, Judi & Tom Randall, Permanent Parisians, Robson Books, London, 1991 • Guy de Maupassant - Wikipedia (EN) |
