Of De Maupassant's sustained efforts "Une Vie" may bear the palm.
This romance has the distinction of having changed Tolstoi from
an adverse critic into a warm admirer of the author. To quote the
Russian moralist upon the book:

" 'Une Vie' is a romance of the best type, and in my judgment the
greatest that has been produced by any French writer since Victor
Hugo penned 'Les Miserables.' Passing over the force and
directness of the narrative, I am struck by the intensity, the
grace, and the insight with which the writer treats the new
aspects of human nature which he finds in the life he describes."

And as if gracefully to recall a former adverse criticism,
Tolstoi adds:

"I find in the book, in almost equal strength, the three cardinal
qualities essential to great work, viz: moral purpose, perfect
style, and absolute sincerity. . . . Maupassant is a man whose
vision has penetrated the silent depths of human life, and from
that vantage- ground interprets the struggle of humanity."

"Bel-Ami" appeared almost two years after "Une Vie," that is to
say, about 1885. Discussed and criticised as it has been, it is
in reality a satire, an indignant outburst against the corruption
of society which in the story enables an ex-soldier, devoid of
conscience, honor, even of the commonest regard for others, to
gain wealth and rank. The purport of the story is clear to those
who recognize the ideas that governed Maupassant's work, and even
the hasty reader or critic, on reading "Mont Oriol," which was