Publisher's Synopsis
Strong As Death is a novel by French author Henri Rene Guy De Maupassant, originally published in 1889. The story revolves around the tragic love affair between a young artist named Olivier Bertin and a beautiful woman named Anne de Guilleroy. Olivier is a successful painter and a renowned socialite in Paris, while Anne is a married aristocrat with a reputation for being cold and unapproachable.Despite their vastly different backgrounds and social statuses, Olivier and Anne are drawn to each other and begin a passionate affair that consumes them both. However, their love is doomed from the start, as Anne is bound by the conventions of her society and cannot leave her husband for Olivier. As their relationship becomes more intense, Olivier becomes increasingly jealous and possessive, leading to a tragic and devastating conclusion.Strong As Death is a powerful exploration of the destructive force of obsessive love and the constraints of society that prevent individuals from pursuing their desires. De Maupassant's vivid descriptions of Parisian high society and the emotional turmoil of his characters make for a compelling and thought-provoking read.The attraction that impelled him toward this girl a little resembled those obscure yet innocent desires that go to make up part of all the ceaseless and unappeasable vibrations of human nerves. His eye of the artist, as well as that of the man, was captivated by her freshness, by that springing of beautiful clear life, by that essence of youth that glowed in her; and his heart, full of memories of his long intimacy with the Countess, finding in the extraordinary resemblance of Annette to her mother a reawakening of old feelings, of emotions sleeping since the beginning of his love, had been startled perhaps by the sensation of an awakening. An awakening? Yes. Was it that?This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.