[Pocket Edition] World Classics Library - A Life

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book is part of the "World Classics Library," a fully translated and illustrated edition. The novel is the first long work by the renowned 19th-century French critical realist writer Guy de Maupassant, and it is one of the six major novels he wrote that had a significant impact. It is one of the 37 world classics recommended by Mao Dun for Chinese readers to read and is included in the list of world-class classical masterpieces compiled by famous scholars such as Japanese scholar Jōzō Kishima. What kind of life is this? As the novel states, one can only enjoy brief moments of joy but must endure countless disappointments, a tragic life. A Life is the first long work by the renowned 19th-century French critical realist writer Guy de Maupassant, and it is one of the six major novels he wrote that had a significant impact. With a simple yet delicate style, the novel depicts a pure and innocent young girl, Yana, of fallen aristocratic birth, who enters the journey of life filled with beautiful dreams, only to face a series of misfortunes—her husband's betrayal, the death of her parents, and her only son leaving home. In the process of disappointment, she gradually ages, summarizing a fundamental state of human life: life is neither as good nor as bad as we imagine. The novel showcases Maupassant's skill in short story writing and his mastery in novel creation, earning him the reputation of a great writer and consolidating and elevating his position in the French literary world. At the same time, it reflects Maupassant's advocacy of naturalism, achieving the artistic effect he pursued—"moving the heart with simple truth." It is one of the 37 world classics recommended by Mao Dun for Chinese readers to read and is included in the list of world-class classical masterpieces compiled by famous scholars such as Japanese scholar Jōzō Kishima.