Guy de Maupassant: A Selection of Political Journalism

Best known as a writer of novels and short stories, Guy de Maupassant also wrote more than 200 articles for some of the major Parisian newspapers of his day, notably Le Gaulois, Gil Blas and Le Figaro. Newspapers in the 1880s opened their columns to prominent literary figures of the time, paid them well, and often gave them a prominent position and a regular slot on the front page. Particularly in his early years, as a poorly paid clerk working in a government ministry, Maupassant found that journalism could provide not only a precious source of income, but also an invaluable training for a literary career. A regular newspaper column could help a young and aspiring writer to hone his skills, to make a name and acquire a reputation.
Until recent years, critics have paid little attention to Maupassant's chroniques, and yet, taken as whole, they undoubtedly provide an illuminating picture of the society and times in which he lived. In a style which is sometimes facetious, frequently ironical, but also on occasions hard-hitting and polemical, Maupassant revealed his ideas, expressed his beliefs, his convictions and prejudices in a way which throws fascinating new light on his other writings. In these chroniques written over a ten-year period, he writes on art and literature, on society and social questions, on political events and on the politicians of the day. Independent, and wedded to no particular cause, he emerges as an informed and perceptive commentator, and an often outspoken critic of Republican politicians and of French colonial policy in particular.

The Editor: Adrian C. Ritchie is a Lecturer in French at the University of Wales, Bangor and has written extensively on Guy de Maupassant. He is also the author of Newspaper French (1990), French for Administration, Business and Commerce (1993), and Media French (1997), all published by the University of Wales Press.