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Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 – November 10, 1938), until November 24, 1934 Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Turkish army officer and revolutionary statesman, was the founder and the first President of the Republic of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal established himself as a successful military commander while serving as a division commander in the Battle of Gallipoli of World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the hands of the Allies, and the subsequent plans for its partition, Mustafa Kemal led the Turkish national movement in what would become the Turkish War of Independence. His successful military campaigns led to the liberation of the country and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. As the Republic's first president, Mustafa Kemal introduced a range of far-reaching reforms which sought to create a modern, democratic and secular state. According to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish National Assembly presented Mustafa Kemal with the surname "Atatürk" (meaning "Father Turk" or "Ancestor Turk") on November 24, 1934.

Early life
Atatürk was born in 1881, in the Ottoman city of Selânik (Thessaloniki in present-day Greece), the son of a minor official who became a timber merchant. In accordance with the then prevalent Turkish custom, he was given a single name, Mustafa. His father, Ali Rıza Efendi, was a customs officer who died when Mustafa Kemal was seven and it was left to his mother Zübeyde Hanım, to raise the young Mustafa.

When Atatürk was 12 years old, he went to military schools in Selânik and Manastır (now Bitola, Republic of Macedonia), centres of discontent towards the Ottoman administration. Mustafa studied at the military secondary school in Selânik, where the additional name Kemal ("perfection" or "maturity", not an uncommon name) was given to him by his mathematics teacher in recognition of his academic excellence. Mustafa Kemal entered the military academy at Manastır in 1895. He graduated as a lieutenant in 1905 and was posted to Damascus under the command of the 5th Army. In Damascus, he soon joined a small secret revolutionary society of reform-minded officers called Vatan ve Hürriyet (Motherland and Liberty) and became an active opponent of the Ottoman regime. In 1907, he attained the rank of captain and was posted to the 3rd Army in Manastır (Bitola in present day Republic of Macedonia). During this period he joined the Committee of Union and Progress, commonly known as the Young Turks. The Young Turks seized power from the Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II in 1908, and Mustafa Kemal became a senior military figure.

In 1910, he took part in the Picardie army manoeuvers in France, and in 1911, he served at the Ministry of War in İstanbul. Later in 1911, he was posted to the province of Trablusgarp (Libya) to participate in the defense against the Italian invasion. Following the successful defense of Tobruk on December 22, 1911, he was appointed the commander of Derne on March 6, 1912.


He returned to Istanbul following the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in October 1912. During the First Balkan War, he fought against the Bulgarian army at Gallipoli and Bolayır on the coast of Thrace (Turkish: Trakya), and played a crucial role in the recapture of Edirne and Demotika (Didymoteicho) during the Second Balkan War. In 1913 he was appointed military attaché to Sofia, partly to remove him from the capital and its political intrigues, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1914.

Military career in World War I
Mustafa Kemal in tour of inspection, 1915
Mustafa Kemal in tour of inspection, 1915

When the Ottoman Empire joined World War I on the side of the German Empire in October 1914, Mustafa Kemal was still serving in Sofia. However, in January 1915, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and reassigned to Tekirdağ (on the Sea of Marmara) with the task of commanding and organizing the 19th Division.
[edit] Gallipoli (Gelibolu)

The newly-formed 19th Division was stationed in the Gallipoli (Turkish: Gelibolu) area, under the command of the German Marshal Otto Liman von Sanders. Mustafa Kemal played a critical role in the battle against the allied British, French and ANZAC forces during the Battle of Gallipoli in April 1915, where he held off allied forces at Conkbayırı and on the Anafarta hills. For this success, he was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, thus acquiring the title of Pasha and gained increasingly greater degrees of influence on the war effort.

Mustafa Kemal gained much respect from his former enemies for his chivalry in victory; the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Memorial has an honoured place on ANZAC Parade in Canberra, Australia. It includes his words:
“ Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

Final WWI years

Following the Battle of Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal served in Edirne and Diyarbakır during 1916, until he was sent to the Caucasus (Turkish: Kafkasya) front to fight against Russian forces during the Caucasus Campaign where he succeeded in recapturing Muş and Bitlis. He was given the rank of Major General on April 1, 1916.

Mustafa Kemal was appointed to the command of the 2nd Army on March 16, 1917, and after a short period, the 7th Army. He returned to İstanbul on October 7, 1917, and joined the crown prince Mehmed Vahdettin on a visit to Germany, falling ill during this trip and staying in Vienna until August 2, 1918 for medical treatment. He returned to Aleppo on August 28, 1918 to resume his command of the 7th Army and defend the region from the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule organized by Great Britain. He was later appointed to the command of Yıldırım Orduları, replacing Liman von Sanders.

In October 1918 the Ottomans capitulated to the Allies with the Armistice of Mudros, and the Yıldırım Orduları was dissolved. Mustafa Kemal returned to Istanbul on November 13, 1918 to take an administrative position at the Ministry of War. He became one of the leaders of the group in favour of defending the area roughly occupied by present day Turkey, declared with the Misak-ı Milli decisions, while agreeing to withdraw from all the other territor

Turkish Independence

Main article: Turkish War of Independence
See also: Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire


At the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire suffered the loss of a large amount of territory. Following the end of the war, the Treaty of Sèvres signed between the Ottomans and the Allies further set up the occupation of Anatolia, the remaining core of the Ottoman state, by English, Italian, French and Greek forces, leaving only a part of Central Anatolia as Turkish territory.

The occupation was met with opposition by Turkish revolutionaries, including numerous local militant resistance groups and organized unions of opposition. Public meetings with significant participation were organized, like the Sultanahmet Meetings of 1919 and 1920, during which Halide Edip Adıvar addressed her renowned speech to a crowd of 200,000. Under these circumstances, Mustafa Kemal became the leading figure of the most successful of several "Kuva-i Milliye" (National Force) movements that blossomed into the Turkish War of Independence.

Mustafa Kemal's revolution began with his assignment in Samsun, where he was given emergency powers as Inspector of the 9th Army. Once in Anatolia, interpreting his powers liberally, he contacted and started issuing orders to provincial governors and military commanders — calling on them to resist occupation. In June 1919 he and his close friends issued the Declaration of Amasya which described why Istanbul's authority was illegitimate. The Young Turks politically promoted the idea that a government-in-exile should be formed in Anatolia. İstanbul's order for the execution of Kemal came too late. He resigned from the Ottoman Army in Erzurum which had been the gateway and portal to Turkish tribes migrating to Eastern Anatolia. He was declared a "Honorary Native" and freeman of the city, which issued him the first citizenship registration and certificate (Nufus Cuzdani) of the new Republic and which was represented in the first Grand National Assembly by him as the city's deputy.

A new parliament, the Grand National Assembly, was formed in Ankara in April 1920. It conferred upon Mustafa Kemal Pasha the title 'President of the National Assembly', repudiated the Sultan's government in Istanbul and rejected the Treaty of Sèvres. (For more details on this topic, see Jurisdictional Conflict)

Meanwhile, the conflict between the nationalist movement and Triple Entente powers continued on three fronts. One of these was the western front with Greece, where Turkish forces fell back in good order to the Sakarya River, eighty kilometres from the Grand National Assembly. Atatürk took personal command and decisively defeated the Greeks in the twenty-day Battle of Sakarya in August and September 1921. Final victory over the Greeks came in the Battle of Dumlupınar on August 30, 1922. (For more details on this topic, see Theatres of the War)

On the political front, Mustafa Kemal Pasha signed the Treaty of Kars (October 23, 1921) with the Soviet Union - a treaty of friendship in which Turkey ceded the city of Batumi, in present-day Georgia — to Lenin's Bolsheviks in return for sovereignty over the cities of Kars and Ardahan, which were lost to Tsarist Russia in Russo-Turkish War of 1877–8. (For more details on this topic, see Stage for Peace)

Post-war life and reforms
Atatürk introducing the new Turkish alphabet to the people of Sivas, September 20, 1928.
Atatürk introducing the new Turkish alphabet to the people of Sivas, September 20, 1928.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha's victory in the Turkish War of Independence assured Turkey's sovereignty. Through the Treaty of Lausanne signed on July 24, 1923, after a disastrous decade of warfare and heavy losses started with the Balkan Wars in 1912, immediately followed by World War I in 1914 and the invasion of Anatolia posed by the Treaty of Sèvres, Turkey finally entered a period of peace despite irredentist opposition in the National Assembly and elsewhere.

[edit] Reforms

Main article: Atatürk's Reforms

Mustafa Kemal capitalized on his reputation as an efficient military leader and spent his following years, up until his death in 1938, instituting a variety of wide-ranging and progressive political, economic, and social reforms, transforming Turkish society from seeing itself as a group of Muslim subjects of a vast Empire into defining itself as the citizens of a modern, democratic, and secular nation-state.
President Ataturk of the Sovereign Turkish State leaving the Parliament Building after a meeting
President Ataturk of the Sovereign Turkish State leaving the Parliament Building after a meeting

The reforms included, foremost, the proclamation of the new Turkish state as a republic on October 29, 1923, giving the Turkish nation the right to exercise popular sovereignty by representative democracy. Paving the way for the proclamation of the republic was the abolition of the powers of the Ottoman Dynasty which had ruled since 1218, and ordering the last members of the dynasty to leave the country, on November 1, 1922. Also during this process, the Caliphate (the nominal leadership of all Muslims in the world) held by the Ottoman Sultan since 1517 was abolished on March 3, 1924.

The leading legal reforms instituted by Mustafa Kemal included the complete separation of government and religious affairs and the adoption of a strong interpretation of the principle of laïcité in the constitution. This was coupled with the closure of Islamic courts and the replacement of Islamic canon law with a secular civil code modeled after Switzerland and a penal code modeled after the Italian Penal Code. The reforms also included the recognition of the equality between the sexes and the granting of full political rights to women on December 5, 1934, well before several other European nations.

Another important part of Atatürk's reforms encompassed his emphasis on the Turkish language and history, leading to the establishment of Turkish Language Association and Turkish Historical Society for research on Turkish language and history, during the years 1931–2. On November 1, 1928, the new Turkish alphabet was introduced by the Language Commission at the initiative of Atatürk, replacing the previously used Arabic script. The adoption of the new alphabet, combined with the opening of Public Education Centers throughout the country and the active encouragement of people by Atatürk himself with many trips to the countryside teaching the new alphabet, succeeded in achieving a substantial increase of the public literacy rate from 20% to over 90%. The literacy reform was also supported by strengthening the private publishing sector with a new Law on Copyrights and congresses for discussing the issues of copyright, public education and scientific publishing.

Reforms in the field of economy included the establishment of many state-owned factories throughout the country for agriculture, machine, and textile industries, many of which grew into successful enterprises and became privatized during the latter half of 20th century. Atatürk considered the development of a national rail network as another important step for industrialization, and this was addressed by the foundation of Turkish State Railways in 1927, setting up an extensive rail network in a very short timespan.

Mustafa Kemal regarded the fez (in Turkish "fes", which Sultan Mahmud II had originally introduced to the Ottoman Empire's dress code in 1826) as a symbol of feudalism and banned it, encouraging Turkish men to wear European attire. Notwithstanding the strong Islamic proscription against alcoholic beverages, he encouraged domestic production of alcohol and established a state-owned spirits industry. He was known to have an appreciation for the national beverage, rakı, and enjoyed it in vast quantities.[1]

Atatürk's reforms were regarded as being too rapid by some. In his quest to modernize Turkey, he effectively abolished centuries-old traditions by means of reforms to which much of the population was unaccustomed but nevertheless willing to adopt. In some cases, these reforms were seen as benefiting the urban elites rather than the generally illiterate inhabitants of the rural countryside[2], where religious sentiments and customary norms tended to be stronger. In particular, Atatürk's strict religious reforms met with some opposition; and to this day, they continue to generate a considerable degree of social and political tension. In the future, political leaders would draw upon dormant forces of religion in order to secure positions of power, only to be blocked by the interventions of the powerful military (as in 1960 when Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was overthrown by the military),[3] which has always regarded itself as the principal and most faithful guardian of secularism.

Kurds also criticize Atatürk of disregarding their cultural distinctions in pursuing a Turkish national identity. In 1925, an uprising for an independent Kurdistan, led by Seyh Sait, was put down quickly, and Sait and 36 of his followers were executed soon thereafter. Kurds accuse successive Turkish governments of suppressing their identity through such means as the banning of Kurdish language in print and media. Atatürk believed the unity and stability of a country lay in a unitary political identity, relegating cultural and ethnic distinctions to the private sphere. Many Kurds did not relinquish their identities however, eventually giving rise to large-scale armed conflict between the Turkish armed forces and the PKK throughout the 1980s and 1990s, leaving over 35,000 dead. Recent moves by the Turkish government have provided Kurds with greater rights and freedoms, particularly in areas such as the Kurdish language, education, and media.

Political consolidation
21 February 1927. TIME describes Mustafa Kemal Pasha's re-action to the rejection by the Senate and the U.S. of the Lausanne Treaty
21 February 1927. TIME describes Mustafa Kemal Pasha's re-action to the rejection by the Senate and the U.S. of the Lausanne Treaty

Mustafa Kemal's reforms caused some opposition in the Republican People's Party ("Cumhuriyet Halk Fırkası" in Turkish) which was founded by Mustafa Kemal himself in September 9, 1923. Then Mustafa Kemal directed General Kazım Karabekir to establish the Progressive Republican Party ("Terakkiperver Cumhuriyet Fırkası" in Turkish) for opposition in Turkish National Assembly. This party opposed state socialism of the Republican People's Party and suggested liberalism. But after some time, the new party was taken over by people Atatürk considered fundamentalists. In 1925, partly in response to the provocations of Sheikh Said, the Maintenance of Order Law was passed, giving Atatürk the authority to shut down subversive groups. The Progressive Republican Party was quickly disestablished under the new law, an act he claimed was necessary for preserving the Turkish state. The closure of the party was seen by some later biographers, such as Harold C. Armstrong, as an act of dictatorship.[4]

On August 11, 1930, Mustafa Kemal decided to try a democratic movement once again. He assigned Ali Fethi Okyar to establish a new party. In Mustafa Kemal's letter to Ali Fethi Okyar, laicism was insisted on. At first, the brand-new Liberal Republican Party succeeded all around the country. But once again the opposition party became too strong in its opposition to Atatürk's reforms, particularly in regard to the role of religion in public life. Finally Ali Fethi Okyar abolished his own party and Mustafa Kemal never succeeded in democratising the parliamentary system. He sometimes dealt sternly with opposition in pursuing his main goal of democratizing the country. One of the criticisms which persists today is that Atatürk did not promote democracy, yet as his biographer notes "Between the two wars, democracy could not be sustained in many richer and better-educated societies. Atatürk's enlightened authoritarianism left a reasonable space for free private lives. More could not be expected in his lifetime."[5]

[edit] Culture and the arts
Opening the State Art and Sculpture Museum in Ankara.
Opening the State Art and Sculpture Museum in Ankara.

Atatürk once stated: "Culture is the foundation of the Turkish Republic". His view of culture included both his own nation's creative legacy and what he saw as the more admirable values of world civilization, and he put an emphasis on humanism above all. He once described modern Turkey's ideological thrust as "a creation of patriotism blended with a lofty humanist ideal".

To assist in the creation of such a synthesis, Atatürk stressed the need to utilize the elements of the national heritage of the Turks and of Anatolia, including its ancient indigenous cultures as well as the arts and techniques of other world civilizations, both past and present. He emphasized the study of earlier civilizations, foremost of which being the Sumerians, later founding a SumerBank in Turkey, as well as other Anatolian civilizations such as the Hittites, Phrygians, and Lydians. The pre-Islamic culture of the Turks became the subject of extensive research, and particular emphasis was laid upon the fact that, long before the Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations, the Turks had had a rich culture. Atatürk also stressed the folk arts of the countryside as a wellspring of Turkish creativity.

The visual and the plastic arts, whose development had on occasion been arrested by some Ottoman officials claiming that the depiction of the human form was idolatry, were highly encouraged and supported by Atatürk, and these flourished in the new Turkish republic. Many museums were opened; architecture began to follow modern trends; and classical Western music, opera, and ballet, as well as the theatre, also took greater hold. Several hundred "People's Houses" and "People's Rooms" across the country allowed greater access to a wide variety of artistic activities, sports, and other cultural events. Book and magazine publications increased as well, and the film industry began to grow.
Atatürk hosting a reception at the USSR Embassy in Ankara, on November 7, 1927
Atatürk hosting a reception at the USSR Embassy in Ankara, on November 7, 1927
Atatürk and Eleftherios Venizelos, the Prime Minister of Greece, at the Republic Day's Ball in Ankara, on October 29, 1932
Atatürk and Eleftherios Venizelos, the Prime Minister of Greece, at the Republic Day's Ball in Ankara, on October 29, 1932

[edit] International relations

During Atatürk's later years, the newly-founded Republic of Turkey hosted visits of many foreign monarchs and heads of state to Ankara and Istanbul including, in chronological order, King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan (May 1928), Prime Minister of Hungary Count István Bethlen (October 1930), King Faisal I of Iraq (June 1932), Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos of Greece (October 1932), King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (October 1933), Shah Reza Pahlavi of Persia (June 1934), King Gustav V Adolf of Sweden (October 1934), King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (September 1936), King Abdullah I of Jordan (June 1937), and King Carol II of Romania (June 1938). Many of the visits meaningfully coincided with the Republic Day, October 29, the anniversary of the declaration of the new Turkish Republic by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in 1923.

Mustafa Kemal participated in forging close ties with the former enemy, Greece, culminating in a visit to Ankara by Greek premier Eleftherios Venizelos, in 1932. Venizelos even forwarded Atatürk's name for the 1934 Nobel Peace Prize[6], highlighting the mutual respect between the two leaders. Atatürk was visited in 1931 by General Douglas MacArthur of the United States, during which the two exchanged their views on the state of affairs in Europe which would eventually lead to the outbreak of World War II. MacArthur expressed his admiration of Atatürk on many occasions and stated that he "takes great pride in being one of Atatürk's loyal friends" [7].

[edit] Family and personal life

On January 29, 1923, Atatürk married Latife Hanım (Uşaklıgil), which lasted until August 5, 1925.

Atatürk adopted his daughters Afet (İnan), Sabiha (Gökçen), who later became the first female combat pilot in the world, Fikriye, Ülkü, Nebile, Rukiye, Zehra and his son Mustafa.[8] Additionally, he had two children under his protection, Abdurrahim and İhsan. Out of the 5 siblings of Atatürk, four died at early ages and only his sister Makbule (Atadan) survived, living until 1956.

In times of leisure, he mainly enjoyed reading, horse riding and swimming. He was very interested in dancing, taking pleasure in waltz on almost every opportunity, as well as the traditional Zeibek folk dances of Rumelia. He also had an appreciation of Rumelian folk songs. He attached importance to his horse Sakarya and his dog Fox. Atatürk was fluent in French and German, and maintained a rich personal library of books on politics, history, and linguistics.

[edit] Last days

During 1937, indications of Atatürk's worsening health started to appear, and while he was on a trip to Yalova during the beginning of 1938 he encountered serious illness. After a short period of treatment he spent in Yalova, an apparent improvement with his health was observed, but his condition again worsened following his journeys first to Ankara, and then to Mersin and Adana, in relation to the political developments regarding the status of the Republic of Hatay. Upon his return to Ankara in May, he was recommended to go to İstanbul for recovery and treatment, where he was at last diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.

During his time in İstanbul, he made an effort to keep up with his regular lifestyle for a while, heading the Council of Ministers meeting, working on the Hatay issue, and hosting the King Carol II of Romania during his visit in June. He stayed onboard his newly arrived yacht Savarona until the end of July, after which the status of his health again worsened and he moved to a room arranged for him at the Dolmabahçe Palace. On his will written on September 5, 1938, he donated all of his possessions to the Republican People's Party, bound to the condition that, through the yearly interest of his funds, his sister Makbule and his adopted children will be looked after, the higher education of the children of İsmet İnönü will be funded, and the Turkish Language Association and Turkish Historical Society will be given the rest.

Atatürk died, at age 57, at the Dolmabahçe Palace on November 10, 1938. His lifestyle had always been strenuous. Alcohol consumption during dinner discussions, smoking and very long hours hard at work with little sleep, and working on his projects and dreams had been his way of life. As the historian Will Durant had said, men devoted to war, politics, and public life wear out fast, and all three had been the passion of Atatürk.

[edit] Legacy
Anıtkabir (1944–53), Kemal Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara.
Anıtkabir (1944–53), Kemal Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara.

His successor, İsmet İnönü, fostered a posthumous Atatürk personality cult which has survived to this day, even after Atatürk's own Republican People's Party lost power following democratic elections in 1950. Atatürk's face and name are seen and heard everywhere in Turkey: his portrait can be seen in all public buildings, in schools, in all kinds of school books, on all Turkish banknotes, and in the homes of many Turkish families. It is common even after so many years, in addition to commemorative ceremonies on November 10, at 09:05 a.m. (the exact time of his death), many vehicles and people will pause for one minute in remembrance all over the country at the same instant.

He is commemorated by many memorials all over Turkey, like the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, Atatürk Bridge over the Golden Horn (Haliç), Atatürk Dam, Atatürk Stadium, and Anıtkabir, the mausoleum where he is now buried. Atatürk statues loom over Istanbul and other Turkish cities, and practically any larger settlement has its own memorial to him. There are also several memorials to Atatürk internationally, such as his statue in Havana, Cuba, Atatürk Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand (which also serves as a memorial to the ANZAC forces that died at Gallipolli), the Atatürk Forest in Israel, and the Atatürk Memorial in the place of honour on ANZAC drive in Canberra, Australia.

Atatürk sought to modernize and democratise a new Turkish Republic from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. In his quest to do so, Atatürk had implemented far-reaching reforms, the consequence of which has led Turkey towards the European Union today. The emphasis placed on secularism and nationalism had also led to a degree of conflict within society. Some practicing Muslims found the idea of secularism as being against the teaching of Islam, and criticise the state for not allowing full freedom of religion. In Turkey to this day Islam is still curbed and women are not allowed to wear their headscarves in public buildings. Ethnic minorities such as Kurds have also sought to gain more cultural rights, which in the past, has been limited by the promotion of Turkish nationalism. Despite these conflicts, Atatürk continues to be revered throughout Turkey and his principles remain the backbone of modern Turkish politics.

Worldwide

In 1981, the centennial of Atatürk's birth, the memory of Atatürk was honored by the United Nations and UNESCO by declaring it The Atatürk Year in the World and adopting the Resolution on the Atatürk Centennial as follows[9]:
“ Convinced that personalities who worked for understanding and cooperation between nations and international peace will be examples for future generations,

Recalling that the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, will be celebrated in 1981,

Knowing that he was an exceptional reformer in all fields relevant to the competence of UNESCO,

Recognizing in particular that he was the leader of the first struggle given against colonialism and imperialism,

Recalling that he was the remarkable promoter of the sense of understanding between peoples and durable peace between the nations of the world and that he worked all his life for the development of harmony and cooperation between peoples without distinction of color, religion and race,

It is decided that UNESCO should collaborate in 1981 with the Turkish Government on both intellectual and technical plans for an international colloquium with the aim of acquainting the world with the various aspects of the personality and deeds of Atatürk whose objective was to promote world peace, international understanding and respect for human rights.

Anna Nicole Smith

Vickie Lynn Marshall[1] (November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007), better known as Anna Nicole Smith, was an American model, actress and celebrity who first gained popularity as Playboy magazine's 1993 Playmate of the Year.

Her highly publicized marriage to oil business executive and billionaire J. Howard Marshall, who was 63 years her senior, resulted in tumultuous speculation that she married the octogenarian merely for his money, which she denied. Following his death, she began a lengthy and ongoing legal battle over a share of his estate. Her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2006 on a technical question of federal jurisdiction.

Early life

She was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on Nov 28, 1967 in Houston, Texas.[2] She was the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan (born July 12, 1947) and Virgie Mae Tabers (born July 12, 1951).[3] Her half-sisters are Donna Hogan and Amy Hogan.[citation needed] When she was very young, Smith's family moved to Mexia, a small town 79 miles (127 km) south of Dallas. Her father then left the family; he and Virgie were divorced November 4, 1969. Smith was raised by her mother and maternal aunt, Elaine. Virgie, who was married previously to Mr. Tacker, was subsequently married to Mr. Hart and to Mr. Arthur.


While growing up, Vickie told others she wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe. While working as a waitress at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, she met Billy Wayne Smith, who was the cook at the restaurant. They were married April 4, 1985. She was then age 17 and he was 16. The next year, she gave birth to their son, Daniel Wayne Smith (January 22, 1986-September 10, 2006). She and Billy separated in 1987 and she moved back to Houston with one-year-old Daniel. Initially, she found employment at Wal-Mart and later as a waitress at Red Lobster, but could not make enough money to support herself and Daniel. She then became an exotic dancer at a nightclub in Houston.[4]

Playboy and modeling career

Smith's career took off after she was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March 1992 issue of Playboy wearing a low-cut evening gown.

She was subsequently called "the next Marilyn Monroe" in press reports, a comparison she encouraged by wearing a hairstyle reminiscent of Monroe's, as well as her trademark white dress.

Becoming one of Playboy's most popular models, Smith began a trend for a more voluptuous look. She next posed nude for the May 1992 centerfold (under the name Vickie Smith).

Smith was chosen to be the 1993 Playmate of the Year. By the time of her PMOY pictorial, she finally settled on the name Anna Nicole Smith.

She secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the Guess? jeans ad campaign in a series of sultry black and white photographs. Guess? capitalized on Smith's strong resemblance to sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and even put her in Jayne-inspired photo sessions.

Smith once did a nude Playboy layout in Mansfield's famous Beverly Hills mansion, the "Pink Palace."

A photograph of the voluptuous model was used by New York magazine on the cover of its August 22, 1994 issue titled White Trash Nation. In the photo, she appears squatting in a short skirt and cowboy boots as she eats chips.

In October 1994, her lawyer initiated a $5,000,000 lawsuit against the magazine claiming unauthorized use of her photo and that the article had damaged her reputation. Her lawyer said that Smith was told she was being photographed to embody the "All-American-woman look" and that they wanted glamour shots. He further stated that the picture used was taken for fun during a break. The editor of New York said that the photo was one of dozens taken for the cover and that he guessed they just found the picture that was chosen unflattering.

Marriage to Marshall

While performing at Gigi's, a Houston strip club, in October 1991, Smith met elderly oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall and they began a relationship. During their two-year relationship, he reportedly lavished gifts on her and asked her to marry him several times.

She divorced her former husband Billy on February 3, 1993, in Houston.[citation needed] On June 27, 1994, Smith, age 26, and Marshall, age 89, were married in Houston. This resulted in a great deal of gossip about her marrying him for his money. Though she reportedly never lived with him [5], Smith maintained she loved her husband and that age did not matter to her.

Thirteen months after his marriage to Smith, Marshall died on August 4, 1995, in Houston.

Inheritance court cases
The neutrality and factual accuracy of this section are disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Within weeks of J. Howard Marshall's death, Smith squared off against his son, E. Pierce Marshall, for half of her late husband's $1.6 billion estate. She joined forces with J. Howard's other son, James Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned. Howard III claimed J. Howard orally promised him a portion of his estate; like Smith, Howard III was also left out of J. Howard's will, which he updated weeks after their marriage.[6] The case has gone on for more than a decade, producing a highly publicized court battle in Texas and several judicial decisions that have gone both for and against Smith in that time.[citation needed]

In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of a $850,000 judgment against her in a legal action unrelated to the Marshall estate. As any money potentially due her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter.[dubious — see talk page]

Smith claimed J. Howard orally promised her half of his estate if she married him. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded her $449,754,134. In July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing and ordered Smith to pay over $1 million in fees and expenses to Pierce's legal team. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into federal court.[dubious — see talk page]

In March 2002, a federal judge vacated the California bankruptcy court's ruling and issued a new ruling but reduced the award to $88 million. In December 2004, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the March 2002 decision, affirming the Texas Probate jury findings that no misconduct had occurred, Smith was not one of J. Howard Marshall's heirs and that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to overrule the probate decisions of a Texas state court.[7][dubious — see talk page]

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in September 2005 to hear the appeal of that decision. The Bush Administration subsequently directed the Solicitor General to intercede on Smith's behalf out of an interest to expand federal court jurisdiction over state probate disputes.[8] [dubious — see talk page]

After months of waiting, Smith and her stepson Pierce learned of the Supreme Court's decision on May 1, 2006. The justices unanimously decided in favor of Smith; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion. (See Marshall v. Marshall)The decision did not give Smith a portion of her husband's estate, but affirmed her right to pursue a share of it in federal court. [9]

On June 20, 2006, E. Pierce Marshall died at age 67 after an infection. His widow, Elaine T. Marshall, now represents his estate.[10]

The case has been remanded to the 9th Circuit to adjudicate the remaining appellate issues not previously reached.[citation needed]

Film and television career

Though her film appearances in The Hudsucker Proxy and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult were highly publicized in 1994, little was done to further Smith's acting career. Her first starring role was as Colette Dubois, a retired spy seeking revenge for the murder of her husband, in the action/thriller To the Limit (1995).

Smith next starred in the action/thriller Skyscraper (1997), which she also produced, as a helicopter pilot, Carrie Wisk, who lands on a high rise building and, upon learning it has been taken over by terrorists, becomes engaged in a deadly fight to save hostages.

Both films, and Smith's performances in them, were usually critically panned. During the course of the litigation over her late husband's estate, her career stalled. Her legal battle, her increasing weight, and her reportedly bizarre behavior made her regular fodder for late night television comedians.

In 2002, she debuted in her own reality TV series on the E! cable network, The Anna Nicole Show. The series focused on her personal and private life in the manner of other "reality" shows, such as the ratings hit The Osbournes.

The debut of the The Anna Nicole Show was the highest rated series on the network, but critics blasted it and ratings dropped with each successive week. However, it achieved a cult status as many fans found humor in Smith's absurd antics. The show was canceled in February 2004 due to "creative differences," but has retained some life in reruns and on DVD releases.

Smith's next appearance on the big screen was as herself in Wasabi Tuna (2003), which is about a group of friends who kidnap her dog, Sugar-Pie, on Halloween. She appeared as herself again in Be Cool (2005), a crime/comedy about the film and music industries that stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman.

In 2006, she starred as Lucy in Illegal Aliens, which she also produced, a sci-fi/comedy about beautiful space aliens saving the earth from evil.

Smith as spokesperson

In an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, she was asked what her "Playmate diet" consisted of. She instantly replied, "fried chicken." In October 2003, she became a spokesperson for TrimSpa, which helped her lose a reported 69 lbs (31 kg).[11]

In November 2004, she appeared at the American Music Awards to introduce a musical performance and attracted attention because of her slurred speech and behavior. During her live appearance, she threw her arms up and exclaimed, "Like my body?" [12]

Smith murmured other comments and alluded to TrimSpa. The incident became comic material for presenters throughout the rest of the program.[13]

The following day, her appearance was featured in the news. Tabloids speculated that Smith was under the influence of pills or some other controlled substance. Her representatives explained that she was in pain due to a series of grueling workouts. They further asserted that she had difficulty reading the prompter because she was not wearing her contact lenses.[citation needed]

After reportedly losing some 80 lbs. (36 kg), Smith returned to her trim shape from the early 1990s.[citation needed]

In March 2005, at the first MTV Australia Video Music Awards in Sydney's Luna Park, she spoofed Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction by pulling down her dress to reveal both breasts, each covered with the MTV logo.[citation needed]

Smith has also been featured in advertisements for the animal rights group PETA. Spoofing Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" segment in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a 2004 ad states "Fur-free blondes are best." In another ad the following year, Smith posed with her dogs in a campaign against Iams dog food for their alleged cruelty to animals.[citation needed]

As of 2006, Smith gave up modeling, although she remained a spokesperson for TrimSpa.[citation needed]

Birth of daughter

Smith announced on June 1, 2006, in a video clip posted on her official website that she was pregnant. "Let me stop all the rumors," she said, while floating on an inflatable raft in a swimming pool. "Yes, I am pregnant. I'm happy, I'm very, very happy about it. Everything's goin' really, really good and I'll be checking in and out periodically on the web, and I'll let you see me as I'm growing."[citation needed]

Though her announcement did not provide any details, in an interview with Larry King on CNN's Larry King Live, Smith's longtime personal attorney Howard K. Stern said that he had loved her for quite some time and they were confident he fathered the baby because of the timing of the pregnancy.[14] However, her ex-boyfriend, entertainment photojournalist Larry Birkhead, steadfastly maintained his contention that he is the baby's father and filed a lawsuit to challenge paternity.[15]

Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, was born September 7, 2006, at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. The Bahamian birth certificate records the father as Howard K. Stern.[16]

A judge in the United States ordered that DNA tests be performed to determine who is the biological father of Dannielynn. Following Anna's death, Debra Opri, the lawyer of Larry Birkhead, asked for a DNA sample to be taken from the corpse. An action that outraged Smith's lawyer, Ron Rale, who called it "the lowest form of behaviour I've ever heard of." [17]

Death of son

Main article: Daniel Wayne Smith

Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, died on September 10, 2006 in his mother's hospital room while visiting her and his newborn sister.[18] After the coroner labeled the death "reserved," Smith hired forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht to perform a second autopsy.[19]

Dr. Wecht announced on Larry King Live that the procedure he performed on September 17, showed that Daniel died from a lethal combination of Zoloft, Lexapro and methadone. Although he explained that methadone is used in the treatment of heroin and morphine addiction, he said he has no information to make any conclusion about the reason he was using the drug.

On September 18, Getty Images sold the last photos taken of Daniel alive at his mother's bedside to In Touch Weekly and Entertainment Tonight for at least $650,000.[20] As of November 19, Wecht had still not been paid for his services, but stated that he was in contact with Smith's attorneys and was confident the matter would soon be resolved.[21]

His death certificate was issued on September 21, so that he could be buried.[22] While Smith remained in the Bahamas with Dannielynn and Stern, Daniel's family in the United States, including his father, Billy Smith, gathered with friends on October 7, in Mexia, Texas, for a memorial service.

Daniel was buried at Lake View Cemetery on Nassau Island, Bahamas, on October 19, almost six weeks after his death. It was reported that Smith intended to live on the island, with no plans to return to the U.S.[23]

Commitment ceremony with Stern

On September 28, 2006, Smith and Howard K. Stern exchanged vows and rings in an informal commitment ceremony aboard the 41-foot catamaran Margaritaville off the coast of the Bahamas. She wore a white dress and carried a bouquet of red roses, while he wore a black dress suit with white shirt. Although they pledged their love and made a commitment to be there for one another before a Baptist minister, no marriage certificate was issued and the ceremony is not legally binding.[24]

After the ceremony, they landed on the island of Sandy Kay where they had a party and celebrated with champagne, apple cider and Kentucky Fried Chicken that had been brought over for the occasion by sailboat.[25]

Regarding the questionable timing of the ceremony, Smith's attorney in Nassau, stated, "They needed a little adrenaline boost because things have been so hectic and devastating in their life recently,"[26] The photos of their wedding were sold through Getty Images to People Magazine for around $1,000,000.[27]

Death
Wikinews has news related to:
Anna Nicole Smith dies

On February 8, 2007, Smith was found unresponsive in a room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. At 1:38 p.m. (18:38 UTC) Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said a nurse in Smith's sixth floor room called the hotel front desk, who in turn called security, who in turn called 911, and at 1:45 p.m. a bodyguard administered CPR before she was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital at 2:10 p.m and pronounced DOA at 2:49 p.m. Smith's husband, Howard K. Stern, was with her when she died and has reported to Entertainment Tonight that her temperature was running high the night before.[28][29][30][31] An autopsy is expected to be performed to determine an official cause of death.

As reported by Reuters,[32] on Wednesday (February 7), a Los Angeles judge had set a February 21 deadline for Smith to complete a DNA paternity test of her five-month-old daughter, as part of a lawsuit by ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who claims to be the father from a two-year relationship with Smith.

Appearances

Film

* The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (comedy/fantasy) ... Za-Za
* Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (comedy/crime) ... Tanya Peters
* To the Limit (1995) (action/thriller) ... Colette Dubois/Vickie Linn
* Skyscraper (1997) (action/thriller) ... Carrie Wisk
* Wasabi Tuna (2003) (comedy/action) ... Herself
* Be Cool (2005) (comedy/crime) ... Herself
* Illegal Aliens (2006) (comedy/sci-fi) ... Lucy

Television

* Sin City Spectacular (1998) (FX Network)
* Veronica's Closet (1999) (Warner Bros. Television) episode: Veronica's Wedding Bell Blues ... Donna
* Ally McBeal (1999) (20th Century Fox Television) episode: Pyramids on the Nile ... Myra Jacobs
* N.Y.U.K. (2000) ... (AMC) Dr. Anita Hugg

Playboy special editions

* Playboy's More to Love Playmate Vol. 9 June 1993 - cover.
* Playboy's Nudes December 1993 - page 4.
* Playboy's Bathing Beauties March 1994 - Stephen Wayda, page 5.

Other

* In 1993, Smith appeared in the promotional video for Bryan Ferry's single "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."[33]
* In 1997, Smith appeared in the promotional video for Supertramp's single "You Win, I Lose."[citation needed]
* In 2004, Smith appeared in the promotional video for Kanye West's single "The New Workout Plan." [1]
* In 1997, she recorded a cover version of "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," originally made famous by Marilyn Monroe. The song was released in France & a video featuring Smith was made to promote it.[citation needed]
* On the NBC soap opera Passions, a character based on Smith by the name Hanna Nicola Smythe made an appearance.[34]
* Mariel Hemingway played a thinly-disguised version of Smith in a 2006 episode of Law and Order.

[T.B.T]

Ölen kocasıyla birlikteyken...


When she was with her husband who was millioner (buda bedibjk dan)

When she was kiss her husband's bone (Bu da tekrar T.B.T'den)

Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert (December 12, 1821 – May 8, 1880) [gystav flobɛʁ] was a French novelist who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel Madame Bovary and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style, best exemplified by his endless search for le mot juste ("the precise word").

Life

Early Life and Education

Flaubert was born in December 1821, in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, in the Haute-Normandie Region of France.

He was the second child of Achille-Cléophas Flaubert (1784-1846), a surgeon in practice at Rouen, and his wife, Anne Justine, born Fleuriot. He began writing at an early age, as early as 8 according to some sources. He was educated in his native city and did not leave it until 1840, when he went to Paris to study law.

In Paris, he is said to have been idle at school. Though he found the city distasteful, he made a few acquaintances, including Victor Hugo. Towards the close of 1840, he travelled in the Pyrenees and Corsica. In 1846, he left Paris and abandoned the study of the law. Epilepsy may have contributed to his departure.

Personal Life

After leaving Paris, Flaubert returned to Croisset, close to Rouen, and lived with his mother. Their home near the Seine became Flaubert's home for the remainder of his life. Flaubert never married. From 1846 to 1854, he had an affair with the poet Louise Colet (his letters to her survived him). According to his biographer Émile Faguet, his affair with Louise Colet was his only serious relationship. There is evidence, including evidence from Flaubert's personal writings, that he visited prostitutes.

His principal friend after leaving Paris was Maxime du Camp, and the two traveled in Brittany in 1846, and to Greece and Egypt in 1849. From his return to France in 1850 until his death, Flaubert remained in Croisset, never leaving, except for occasional visits to Paris, and a trip to Carthage in 1858.

During the 1850s and 1860s Flaubert's sequestered and laborious life was comparatively happy. He was close to his niece, Caroline Commanville, and had a close friendship and correspondence with George Sand. He occasionally visited Parisian acquaintances including Zola, Alphonse Daudet, Turgenev, and Edmond and Jules de Goncourt.

The 1870s, however, were difficult. Prussian soldiers occupied his house during the War of 1870, and in 1872, he lost his mother. After her death, his circumstances became greatly reduced. Flaubert's health declined, and though he was only 58 when he died of a stroke in 1880, he appeared much older. He died at Croisset, but was buried in the family vault in the cemetery of Rouen. A monument to him by Henri Chapu was unveiled at the museum of Rouen in 1890.

Writing career

In September 1849, Flaubert completed the first version of a novel, The Temptation of St. Anthony. He read the novel aloud to Louis Bouilhet and Maxime du Camp over the course of four days, not allowing them to interrupt or give any opinions. At the end of the reading, they told him to throw it on the fire, suggesting instead that he focus on the day to day life of normal (banal) people rather than on fantastic subjects.

In 1850, after returning from Egypt, Flaubert began work on Madame Bovary. The novel, which took 5 years to write, was serialized in the Revue de Paris in 1856. The government brought an action against the publisher and against the author on the charge of immorality, but both were acquitted. When Madame Bovary appeared in book form, it met with a warm reception.

In 1858, Flaubert traveled to Carthage to gather material for his next novel, Salammbô. The novel was completed in 1862 after four years of work.

He then took up again the study of contemporary manners, and, drawing on his childhood experiences, wrote L'Éducation sentimentale (Sentimental Education or rather Emotional Education), the composition of which occupied him for seven years. L'Éducation sentimentale was his last complete novel, published in 1869.

After the publication of L'Éducation sentimentale, he wrote an unsuccessful drama, Le Candidat, and published a reworked version of La Tentation de Saint-Antoine, portions of which had been published as early as 1857. He devoted much of his time to an ongoing project, Les Deux Cloportes (The Two Woodlice), which later became Bouvard et Pécuchet, breaking from the obsessive project only to write the Three Tales, probably for financial reasons.

In 1877, Flaubert published a book of three stories entitled Trois contes or Three Tales. The included stories were Un Cœur simple, La Légende de Saint-Julien l'Hospitalier and Hérodias. After the publication of the stories, he spent the remainder of his life toiling on the unfinished Bouvard et Pécuchet, posthumously printed in 1881, which is a vast satire on the futility of human knowledge and the ubiquity of mediocrity. He believed the work to be his masterpiece, though the posthumous version received lukewarm reviews.

Character

In his youth, Flaubert was vigorous, had a certain shy grace, was intensely individual, and apparently lacked ambition.

The personal character of Flaubert offered various peculiarities. He was shy, and yet extremely sensitive and arrogant; he passed from silence to an indignant and noisy flow of language. The same inconsistencies marked his physical nature; he had the build of a guardsman with a Viking head, but his health was uncertain from childhood, and he was neurotic to the last degree. This ruddy giant was secretly gnawed by misanthropy and disgust of life. His hatred of the bourgeois and their bêtise (willful idiocy) began in his childhood and developed into a kind of monomania. He despised his fellow-men, their habits, their lack of intelligence, their contempt for beauty, with a passionate scorn which has been compared to that of an ascetic monk.

Flaubert's curious modes of composition favored and were emphasized by these peculiarities. He worked in sullen solitude, sometimes occupying a week in the completion of one page, never satisfied with what he had composed, violently tormenting his brain for the best turn of a phrase, the most absolutely final adjective. His incessant labors were rewarded. His private letters show that he was not one of those to whom easy and correct language came naturally; he gained his extraordinary perfection with the unceasing sweat of his brow. Many critics consider Flaubert's best works to be models of style.

That he was one of the greatest writers who ever lived in France is now commonly admitted, and his greatness principally depends upon the extraordinary vigour and exactitude of his style. Less perhaps than any other writer, not of France, but of modern Europe, Flaubert yields admission to the inexact, the abstract, the vaguely inapt expression which is the bane of ordinary methods of composition. He never allowed a cliché to pass him, never indulgently or wearily went on, leaving behind him a phrase which almost expressed his meaning. As a writer, Flaubert was nearly equal parts romantic, realist, and pure stylist. Hence, members of various schools--especially realists and formalists--have traced their origins to his work. The exactitude with which he adapts his expressions to his purpose can be seen in all parts of his work, especially in the portraits he draws of the figures in his principal romances. The degree to which Flaubert's fame has extended since his death presents an interesting chapter of literary history in itself.

The publication of Madame Bovary in 1857 was followed by more scandal than admiration; it was not understood at first that this novel was the beginning of something new: the scrupulously truthful portraiture of life. Gradually, this aspect of his genius was accepted, and it began to crowd out all others. At the time of his death he was famous as a realist, pure and simple. Under this aspect Flaubert exercised an extraordinary influence over Edmond de Goncourt, Alphonse Daudet and Zola. But even after the decline of the realistic school, Flaubert did not lose prestige; other facets of his genius caught the light. It has been perceived that he was not merely realistic, but real; that his clairvoyance was almost boundless; that he saw certain phenomena more clearly than the best of observers had done. Flaubert is a writer who tends to appeal to other writers more than to the world at large because of his deep commitment to aesthetic principles, his devotion to style, and his indefatigable pursuit of the perfect expression.

He can be said to have made cynicism into an art-form, as evinced by this observation from 1846:

To be stupid, and selfish, and to have good health are the three requirements for happiness; though if stupidity is lacking, the others are useless.

His Œuvres Complètes (8 vols., 1885) were printed from the original manuscripts, and included, besides the works mentioned already, the two plays, Le Candidat and Le Château des cœurs. Another edition (10 vols.) appeared in 1873–1885. Flaubert's correspondence with George Sand was published in 1884 with an introduction by Guy de Maupassant.

He has been admired or written about by almost every major literary personality of the 20th century, including philosophers and sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Paul Sartre whose partially psychoanalytic portrait of Flaubert in The Family Idiot was published in 1971. Georges Perec named Sentimental Education as one of his favorite novels. The Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa is another great admirer of Flaubert. Apart from Perpetual Orgy, which is solely devoted to Flaubert's art, one can find lucid discussions in Vargas Llosa's recently published Letters to a Young Novelist.

Guy de Maupassant

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (IPA: [gi də mopasɑ̃]) (5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. His stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s. His short stories are characterized by their economy of style and the efficient way in which the various threads are neatly resolved. He also wrote six novels.

Biography

Maupassant was most likely born at the Château de Miromesnil, near Dieppe in the Seine-Maritime department.

The Maupassants were an old Lorraine family who had settled in Normandy in the middle of the 18th century. In 1846 his father had married Laure Le Poittevin. With her brother Alfred, she had been the playmate of the novelist Gustave Flaubert, who was destined to have a guiding influence on her son's life. She was a woman of no common literary accomplishments, very fond of the classics, especially Shakespeare. After separating from her husband, Le Poittevin kept her two sons, the elder Guy and younger Hervé.

Until he was thirteen years old Guy lived with his mother at Étretat, in the Villa des Verguies, where between the sea and the luxuriant countryside, he grew very fond of nature and outdoor sports; he went fishing with the fishermen off the coast and spoke Norman with the peasants. He was deeply devoted to his mother. As he entered junior high school, he met the great author Gustave Flaubert.

He first entered a seminary at Yvetot, but deliberately managed to have himself expelled. From his early education he retained a marked hostility to religion. Then he was sent to the Rouen Lycée, where he proved a good scholar indulging in poetry and taking a prominent part in theatricals.

The Franco-Prussian War broke out soon after his graduation from college in 1870; he enlisted as a volunteer and fought bravely.

After the war, in 1871, he left Normandy and came to Paris where he spent ten years as a clerk in the Navy Department. During these ten tedious years his only recreation was canoeing on the Seine on Sundays and holidays.

Gustave Flaubert took him under his protection and acted as a kind of literary guardian to him, guiding his debut in journalism and literature. At Flaubert's home he met Émile Zola and the Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, as well as many of the protagonists of the realist and naturalist schools. He wrote a considerable amount of verse and short plays.

In 1878 he was transferred to the Ministry of Public Instruction and became a contributing editor of several leading newspapers such as Le Figaro, Gil Blas, Le Gaulois and l'Echo de Paris. He devoted his spare time to writing novels and short stories.

In 1880 he published his first masterpiece, "Boule de Suif", which met with an instant and tremendous success. Flaubert characterized it as "a masterpiece that will endure." This was Maupassant's first piece of short fiction set during the Franco-Prussian War, and was followed by short stories such as "Deux Amis," "Mother Savage," and "Mademoiselle Fifi."

The decade from 1880 to 1891 was the most fertile period of Maupassant's life. Made famous by his first short story, he worked methodically and produced two or sometimes four volumes annually. He combined talent and practical business sense, which made him wealthy.

In 1881 he published his first volume of short stories under the title of La Maison Tellier; it reached its twelfth edition within two years; in 1883 he finished his first novel, Une Vie (translated into English as A Woman's Life), 25,000 copies of which were sold in less than a year. In his novels, he concentrated all his observations scattered in his short stories. His second novel Bel-Ami, which came out in 1885, had thirty-seven printings in four months.

His editor, Havard, commissioned him to write new masterpieces and Maupassant continued to produce them without the slightest apparent effort. At this time he wrote what many consider to be his greatest novel, Pierre et Jean.

With a natural aversion to society, he loved retirement, solitude, and meditation. He traveled extensively in Algeria, Italy, England, Brittany, Sicily, Auvergne, and from each voyage he brought back a new volume. He cruised on his private yacht "Bel-Ami," named after his earlier novel. This feverish life did not prevent him from making friends among the literary celebrities of his day: Alexandre Dumas, fils had a paternal affection for him; at Aix-les-Bains he met Taine and fell under the spell of the philosopher-historian.

Flaubert continued to act as his literary godfather. His friendship with the Goncourts was of short duration; his frank and practical nature reacted against the ambience of gossip, scandal, duplicity, and invidious criticism that the two brothers had created around them in the guise of an 18th-century style salon.

In his later years he developed an exaggerated love for solitude, a predilection for self-preservation, and a constant fear of death and mania of persecution, compounded by the syphilis he had contracted in his early days. He was considered insane in 1891 and died two years later, a month short of his 43rd birthday, on July 6, 1893.

Guy de Maupassant is buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris.

[edit] Significance

Maupassant is one of the fathers of the modern short story. Maupassant delights in clever plotting, and served as a model for Somerset Maugham and O. Henry in this respect. His stories about real or fake jewels ("La Parure", "Les Bijoux") are imitated with a twist by Maugham ("Mr Know-All", "A String of Beads") and Henry James ("Paste").

Taking his cue from Balzac, Maupassant wrote comfortably in both the high-Realist and fantastic modes; stories and novels such as "L'Héritage" and Bel-Ami aim to recreate Third Republic France in a realistic way, whereas many of the short stories (notably "Le Horla", cited as an inspiration for H. P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu", and "Qui sait?") describe apparently supernatural phenomena.

The supernatural in Maupassant, however, is often implicitly a symptom of the protagonists' troubled minds; Maupassant was fascinated by the burgeoning discipline of psychiatry, and attended the public lectures of Jean-Martin Charcot between 1885 and 1886 (see Pierre Bayard, Maupassant, juste avant Freud (Paris: Minuit, 1994). This interest is reflected in his fiction