Guy de Maupassant

Pierre and Jean Guy de Maupassant

Pierre et Jean is a naturalist or psycho-realist work written by Guy de Maupassant in Étretat in his native Normandy between June and September 1887 . This was Maupassant's shortest novel. It appeared in three instalments in the Nouvelle Revue and then in volume form in 1888, together with the essay "Le Roman" ["The Novel"]. Pierre et Jean is a realist work, notably so by the subjects on which it treats, including knowledge of one's heredity (whether one is a legitimate son or a bastard), the bourgeoisie, and the problems stemming from money.