IntroductionNote on the TranslationSelect BibliographyChronology of Émile ZolaPlan of Montsou and surrounding areas--GerminalExplanatory Notes
IntroductionNote on the TranslationSelect BibliographyA Chronology of Émile ZolaMaps--L'AssommoirExplanatory Notes
Maupassant is an elegant writer (or else the translator is), and Bel-Ami reads beautifully. It's engaging, witty, and yes, Duroy is an absolute bastard, a vile, reprehensible, self-serving jerk of the type you simultaneously hate and respect for how much sheer skill he has at being the bastard that...