Bel-Ami, is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel first appeared in 1903.<br /><br />The story chronicles journalist Georges Duroy&#39;s corrupt rise to power from a poor former cavalry NCO in France&#39;s African colonies, to one of the most successful men in Paris, most of which he achieves by manipulating a series of powerful, intelligent, and wealthy women.<br />|Wikipedia|<br /><br />&nbsp;