ABSTRACT
Maupassant happened to be near at hand in October 1868 when Swinburne narrowly escaped drowning, being swept out to sea by ‘treacherous undercurrents’ while swimming at Étretat, on the Norman coast. The incident led to Maupassant’s becoming acquainted with the English poet. His personal impressions, possibly somewhat coloured after a considerable lapse of time, helped to shape and to reflect the image of Swinburne in France (see Introduction, the last part of section III). The following extract includes everything of special interest, the part omitted being an insignificant factual statement. The translation was made especially for this book by Violette Lang (Mrs. Cecil Y.Lang).
