Bel Ami

Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant is a scathing portrait of ambition, corruption, and seduction in late 19th-century Paris. The novel follows Georges Duroy, a charming yet unscrupulous opportunist who rises from poverty to fame and fortune through manipulation, affairs with influential women, and ruthless ambition. As a journalist at La Vie Française, Duroy exploits his relationships with powerful mistresses to climb the social and political ladder, discarding each as he ascends. Maupassant masterfully exposes the hypocrisy of the press, the elite, and bourgeois morality. A gripping, cynical exploration of power, gender, and greed, Bel Ami remains a timeless critique of a society where image triumphs over integrity.