A Selection of the "Chroniques" (1881-87)

This selection of Maupassant's journalistic writings, edited in their original French version, encompasses articles on literary, artistic and social issues. Though many writers of the day, including Zola, Mirbeau, and Bourget, supplement their earnings by journalism, Maupassant was mindful of the warnings of his mentor Gustave Flaubert who insisted that journalism was an unworthy occupation for a self-respecting writer. But in 1880 Maupassant finally signed a contract with Le Gaulois and was soon to discover that a regular newspaper column could help him to hone his literary skills, extend his range, and develop his ideas.
Critics are now aware that to ignore an activity which occupied a considerable portion of Maupassant's time, during the years when he was most productive, is seriously to distort our view of the scope of a writer whose ideas and convictions are nowhere more clearly delineated than in his chroniques .
Indeed, there is much of interest in these pieces written mostly for Le Gaulois, Gil Blas, and Le Figaro. Today's reader can learn about the preoccupations of the reading public in France, about French society and its values, about public opinion, and about corruption in public life.
Cette sélection rassemble une trentaine des quelque deux cents chroniques de Guy de Maupassant, qui, éditées ici dans leur langue originale, traitent notamment de questions littéraires, artistiques et sociales. Beaucoup d'écrivains de son temps, dont Zola, Mirbeau, et Bourget, écrivaient pour la presse pour augmenter les parfois maigres gains que leur procuraient leur activité littéraire. Maupassant en revanche se rappelait les conseils de son maître, Flaubert, pour qui écrire dans un journal était une occupation indigne d'un véritable artiste. Mais en 1880 il se laissa tenter, signa un contrat avec Le Gaulois et devait trouver par la suite que l'obligation de fournir régulièrement de la copie était une discipline utile qui lui permettait d'acquérir une rigueur dans le