"Strong as Death" by Guy de Maupassant, summary

The novel, published in 1889, tells the story of the tragic fading of passion, the struggles of approaching old age, and the loss of creative inspiration. The title alludes to a verse from Solomon’s Song of Songs about love as strong as death. In 1982, French television released a film adaptation of the novel of the same name, directed by Gérard Chouchan.

Creative quests and the story of a former love

Parisian artist Olivier Bertin is a renowned social portraitist. In his studio, he struggles to find an interesting subject for a new painting. He is overcome by anxiety: he fears his creative energy has dried up and his available ideas have been exhausted.

His longtime lover, Countess Anne de Guilleroy, comes to his studio. They have been intimate for twelve years. Olivier achieved fame thanks to a portrait of Anne, painted early in their relationship. The Countess’s husband, the deputy Count de Guilleroy, is completely absorbed in agricultural matters and politics.

The Countess announces that her daughter, Annette, is returning to Paris. The girl is eighteen years old and has spent the last three years living with her grandmother at the country estate of Roncières. Her father intends to introduce her to the Marquis de Farandal and marry her.

Bertin recalls the story of their first meeting. In 1874, he saw Anne at the Duchess de Mortemain’s and offered to paint her portrait. During the sessions, feelings arose between the artist and the young woman. Anne initially resisted, but eventually gave in. Their relationship blossomed into a calm and lasting union.

Annette’s appearance and the first worries

Olivier Bertin comes to dine with the Guilleroys. Among the guests are the Inspector of Fine Arts Musadieu, the Duchess de Mortemain, and the Baron and Baroness de Corbelle.

Anne de Guilleroy enters the drawing room with her daughter. Those gathered are struck by the resemblance between mother and daughter. Inspector Musadieu notices their identical blue eyes with black flecks. The Duchess and Olivier see in Annette a spitting image of Anne in her youth.

The Marquis de Farandal arrives for the evening. Annette’s father is counting on this marriage to strengthen the family’s position. The Marquis examines the girl with a connoisseur’s attention. Observing their interaction, Olivier feels a vague irritation.

A few days later, the painter is walking with Annette in the Parc Monceau. She tells him about her life in the village. Suddenly, Bertin hears in her voice the same intonations that Anne had used twelve years earlier. This discovery triggers a surge of long-faded feelings in him.

Olivier begins visiting Guilleroy almost daily. The image of his aging lover and her young daughter merge in his mind. At the annual art exhibition at the Palais de l’Industrie, Bertin displays his painting "Bathers," but feels dissatisfied with his work. When the Marquis Farandal courts Annette during lunch at Ledoyen’s restaurant, the artist is tormented by jealousy.

The Countess de Guilleroy notices a change in Olivier’s behavior. In an effort to maintain her slim figure and keep up with her daughter, she stops drinking water during meals. This strict regimen exhausts her, and her face loses its freshness. The appearance of new wrinkles terrifies the Countess, and she begins constantly checking herself in a small mirror.

Trip to Normandy

At the end of July, the Countess’s mother dies at the Roncieres estate. Anne, her husband, and their daughter hastily leave for the funeral.

In the absence of his beloved, Olivier sinks into melancholy. The city seems empty and hostile to him. He writes letters to Anna, complaining of loneliness and his inability to work. The Countess is grieving deeply and refuses to return to Paris while her face bears the marks of suffering.

The Count de Guilleroy arrives in the capital on business and asks Bertin to go to Roncières to bring his wife back. The artist sets off.

At the estate, Bertin spends time with Annette. They take walks together, play lawn tennis, and visit the village cemetery. To please her, Olivier promises to give her a sapphire brooch in the shape of a cornflower with emerald leaves. He delights in their company, capturing her every movement and glance.

The Countess watches Olivier’s infatuation with alarm. During a nighttime stroll in the park, she tells the artist that he loves in her only his former ideal. The next day, the Countess decides to return to Paris immediately to hide her fading appearance from the bright sunlight.

Revealing the secret

After returning to the capital, the Countess’s suffering intensifies. At one soiree, guests gather in front of Anna’s portrait and compare Annette, standing next to it, to it. Everyone admires the girl, but no one pays attention to her mother. Anna feels rejected in her own home.

Olivier asks Annette to pose for his new painting, "The Dreamer." The girl sits down in a chair with a volume of Victor Hugo. As she absorbs the poems, she sheds a tear. Stunned by her beauty, Bertin whispers, "My God, how beautiful she is!"

The Countess de Guilleroy takes the artist into the next room. In a fit of nerves, she begs him to give up the job and openly admits that he’s falling in love with Annette.

Bertin defends himself and denies these suspicions. But, returning home, he delves into self-analysis. Rereading Anna’s old letters and looking at her portrait, he realizes the truth with horror: he truly is passionately in love with the girl. This feeling seems to him like an inevitable catastrophe.

A critical article appears in the newspaper Le Figaro, calling Bertin’s painting outdated. The insulted artist seeks support from the Countess.

During a frank conversation, Olivier no longer hides his feelings. He confesses to Anna that he loves Annette with an inescapable, destructive intensity. The Countess sheds tears over their shattered happiness, but sympathizes with the artist’s suffering.

Tragic ending

Olivier secures a box at the Opera for a rare performance of "Faust" by famous actors. Anna, Annette, the Count, the Duchess, and the Marquis de Farandal are present. Annette’s marriage to the Marquis has already been decided.

Gounod’s music and the words of Faust’s aria about the thirst for youth deeply wound Bertin. Seeing Annette weep at the music and respond to her fiancé’s attentions, the artist can hardly contain his tormenting jealousy.

The next day, Olivier wanders the streets of Paris in a state of complete mental disarray. Around nine o’clock in the evening, in a remote area of the city, he is hit by an omnibus. The seriously injured master is brought home.

Doctor de Riville sends a dispatch to Count de Guilleroy. The Countess and her husband urgently come to the dying artist.

On the brink of life and death, Olivier begs Anna to burn all her letters, which are kept in her desk. He fears that after his death, these papers will fall into the hands of strangers. The Countess throws stacks of envelopes into the fireplace. The fire gradually destroys the traces of their long-standing love. The wax seals melt and drip red, like blood.

Olivier makes Anna promise: if he survives until morning, she will bring Annette to him for a final farewell. But the internal injuries prove fatal.

The Countess holds Bertin’s cold hand in the silence of the room. Olivier grows silent and dies before her eyes.