1968 Heritage Press Sandglass Edition in slipcase. Bel-Ami is a novel by Guy de Maupassant, a French writer of short stories and novels. It was published in 1885 and an English translation was published in 1903. The novel is about Georges Duroy, a man from the provinces who arrives in Paris and uses his charm and good looks to seduce powerful women. The novel is a classic of seduction, intrigue, and social climbing in Paris. It is also a novel of great frankness and cynicism, but also infused with the joy of life.