Maupassant's association with Flaubert brought him into French literary circles. Although Maupassant was often a member of gatherings that included famous writers such as Flaubert, Turgenev, Zola, and Daudet, he had little interest in a writing career for himself at the time. As a teenager he was much more interested in sports than writing, especially rowing. Maupassant's education was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served as a member of the French army. After the end of the war he entered the French civil service. He served first at the Ministry of the Navy and then at the Ministry of Public Institutions. Between 1873 and 1880 he also worked as a literary apprentice to Flaubert. At this time, Maupassant realized his weakness as a poet and concentrated on developing his skills as a writer of prose fiction. Maupassant wrote a collection of short stories which were published with writers such as Bola and