Customer Reviews

Selected Short Stories

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Never having taken a world literature class, I discovered Guy De Maupassant many years ago on my own ... to my utter delight! I love his insights into human behavior, his writing technique of emphasizing some human conditon, dilemma, or foible, his ability to contrast the behavior of the wealthy respectable class against the more common people, his humor, and his creative writing style. The reader learns about the lives of people during the 19th century, their cares, concerns, their vices and passions ... and their secrets, the subjects are as varied as life itself!

This volume of 30 short stories is an extremely fine selection of his works. I was familiar with three of the stories, "The Jewels", "The Piece of String" and the most well known titled "Boule De Suif" (translated as "Ball of Fat"). In this famous story, the prostitute of the region of Rouen is traveling with upper class companions in a coach as each traveler assesses the other one, making judgements as human beings often do. Eventually the upper class passengers are hungry, as they eye Boule De Suif opening her basket filled with fried chicken and other delicious foods. Boule De Souif takes compassion on her fellow passengers by offering them some of her food, to their embarrassment and pleasure, assuaging their hunger pangs. We learn a little about the character and background of the passengers, as the author builds his plot ... The passengers became more chummy, a most unusual situation that would not occur in normal everyday life between such different classes. The coach stopped for a rest at an inn. Prussians occupied the town and were staying at the same inn. As circumstances developed, the Prussian officer wanted to speak with Boule De Suif (Madame Elisabeth Rousset) ... she refused, recognizing at once the reason for his summons. The passengers on the coach sensed the tension and attempted pursuading Ms Rousset to join the officer ... they feared bad consequences for themselves if she did not cooperate, despite their disgust toward that sort of activity. They prevalied, Ms Rousset succumbed. The story ended on a sad note ... after "the event", the snobby behavior of the passengers toward Ms Rousset was evident as they reached their destination. They forgot her kindess in sharing her food, her resistance to the advances of the officer (she had pride in resisting the enemy) ... the passengers looked to their own selfish concerns and had no compassion for the sacrifice made by "Boule De Suif" on their behalf. This story exemplifies one of the main reasons the stories of Guy De Maupassant are so popular, in addition to his creative techniques and writing expertise, he contrasts certain extremes of human behavior to make a very strong point which emphasizes the human condition most accurately. These stories will delight a wide-range of readers. Most highly recommended. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

First, I want to say how amazed I was with this book. De Maupassant was a brilliant author -- anyone interested in great literature should give his stories a chance.

Contents: Boule de Suif, In the Spring, The Graveyard Sisterhood, Madame Tellier's Establishment, A Ruse, An Old Man, Rust, Two Friends, The Jewels, The Conservatory, The Matter with Andre, My Uncle Jules, A Duel, The Convert, In the Bedroom, Regret, The Decoration, The Piece of String, The Model, The Hand, Idyll, Mother Savage, Guillemot Rock, Imprudence, The Signal, In the Woods, The Devil, The Horla, The Mask, Mouche.

Note - You won't find "The Necklace" here, as the translator (Roger Colet) points out in his notes.

Guy de Maupassant is today considered by most literary historians to be the greatest short story writer who ever lived, in any century. When it comes to just telling a great story, he was the best, couldn't be topped. Both aspiring and established fiction writers should read Maupassant's finest stories to learn or brush up on the basics--plot, pacing, conciseness, character, mood, description, as well as to learn how simple naturalness and clarity of technique are important for writing engaging and readable fiction.

This is a very good selection of some of his most memorable tales. I would also recommend "A Day In The Country and Other Stories", which I believe is the best Maupassant collection available in English.

Maupassant was considered shocking a hundred years ago because he wrote about prostitutes and adultery in frank and unashamed terms. He was ahead of his time in that way. He never wrote a truly great novel, but 50 or 60 of his stories are real classics. Nobody who reads a great Maupassant story will soon forget it.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

I first encountered Maupassant's work in my early teens, when I had to study a few of his stories for my English class. I remember my teacher saying, "there have been many great short story writers down the years, but only one real genius: Guy de Maupassant".

The great thing about his work is that it's timeless. Although most of them were written over 130 years ago, Maupassant talks of
catching "a cab" on the Champs-Elysee, pavement cafes in fashionable districts of Paris, and even cronyism in the corridors of power! As a fellow reviewer observed, all are full of wit and irony; there's something for everyone here.

And for those who think that Stephen King has the last word on horror writing: I defy anyone to name a story that is as scary as
The Horla.

This really is the world's finest display of the art of the short
story, and I would reccommend it to anyone.

Years ago, I read A Woman's Life by Guy de Maupassant. I could appreciate it knowing the author had been influenced by Flaubert and Zola. But I didn't find the work quite original or worth the effort.

Recently I began to read his stories, with this collection in particular as my starting point. All I can say is Maupassant is the quintessential master of the shorter tale. His novels and novellas (aside from Bel-Ami) stand in the shadows compared to these wondrous prose pieces. For the longest time I read only novels, finding short stories either too short or unsatisfying. With Guy de Maupassant, every story is satisfying, each the longer ones like "The Horla" and "Boule de Suif".

Whatever the collection, whatever the translation, if you love French literature and literature in general, Guy de Maupassant is worth exploring. He is bawdy, fun, melancholic, as well as surprising. "The Horla" I have discovered finds its way into nineteenth century horror/ghost story collections. Don't pass up the good time.

Guy De Maupassant's short stories are peopled with characters that the reader feels an almost immediate connection to. He is a master of characterization and pacing which is so critical to the writing of short fiction. This collection is an excellent introduction to his work with some of the stories standing out more than others although all are worth the time investment requred to digest a story that will typically inspire the reader with thought and reflection.
I don't know if I would agree with other reviewers that he is the best since others, most notably, Chekov have also produced masterpieces of short fiction. Nevertheless the reader's life will be enriched by becoming familiar with de Maupassant and this collection is a fine way to start.

I fell across Maupassant's "The Necklace" years ago and have been a fan ever since. Many writers believe that the well crafted short story is the hardest story to write and Maupassant is certainly one of the masters. Many of his stories are well known: "The Necklace," "The Piece of String," and "The Ball of Fat" are standard university faire but this volume brings together about thirty of his best stories. His keen insight and sense of observation make these stories timeless and interesting - you might even see yourself. The writing is surprisingly fresh and readable. A great book to have by the fireside.

I have been an avid reader for about 30 years and have gradually turned into a very selective one. It's not easy for me to get a powerful and lasting impression from texts. Last December I picked up this volume while in transit in Chicago's airport. Most of the stories are first rate but there are 2 that have became fixed in my mind: "The Jewels" and "In the Bedroom". Both are perfect miniatures of elegance, conciseness, irony and wit. In the second one, you hear a lovely and extremely sharp woman discussing with her husband his reasons for adultery, turning them around, leaving him defeated and ridiculized. There is another marvelous touch at the end, but I don't want to spoil your pleasure. The first story is one of the finest examples I've seen of subtle irony, how women play with their secrets and the importance of ends, over means. I have read both several times since. After each, I feel as having been before something perfect, as when watching some Vermeer paintings. Give these stories a try. I hope you'll be very amply rewarded and will keep going back to them.

Guy de Maupassant is one of those few authors you just love to hate. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he's French, but that's another thing entirely. He's known for his fabulous short stories that can take you from feelings of sadness to joy to downright disgust. His collections of short stories incorporated here see to do exactly that.

Maupassant is one of those authors whose stories take some time to warm up before running smoothly about. Like an old engine, you will feel some cranks here and there, but after some time, everything seems to move smoothly along. His short stories are astounding. He's known for his thought provoking outlook on the french and european culture of his time. You can at times relate to his surroundings with the wars, famine, and greed that surrounds them, an environment that resembles very much modern times. Maupassant's best work has got to be the novella Le Horla, which is not included here. His other short stories just run short from comparing to that one, but that doesn't mean they're bad nonetheless. His writing style is different than other French authors, like Dumas, who favored patriotism above all else and looked at riches before dealing with the peasants. Maupassant look at the latter and how they relate to the former. That realistic approach just shows you that in any age or life we're living in, the rich will always have it for the poor, that life is not fair and if you don't stand up for your right, things not might, but will never go your way.

In his short collection, you capture a glimpse of a literary genius, whose light faded before his time. You feel the anguish of his troubled times, and can't help but wondering that even after centuries, history still keeps repeating itself.

Maupassant wrote in the late 1800s, when Mark Twain and O. Henry were writing humorous and thoughtful short stories in the U.S. In style and quality, he is closer to the simple homilies and narrow scenery of O.Henry than the pointed wit of Twain. And like O.Henry, Maupassant died sick and dissolute in his forties. Maupassant's stories are often set in his native Normandy in northern France and populated with greedy and cunning peasants, whom Maupassant portrays alternately with affection or disdain.

The stories themselves vary enormously in quality, generally the longer ones are better. In "Boule de Suif", "Olive Grove" and "Madame Tellier's Establishment", he has the time and space to patiently and subtly develop themes that paint his characters in hues of real humanity: the prostitute manipulated, the priest with a past, the giddy hookers attending a child's first communion. The lampoon of the rah-rah small-town booster in "Madame Husson's May King" [in the 1995 edition] brings a smile - the character sounds just like someone we've all met, a provincial yokel always over-eager to talk about the glories of his backwater hometown and the "famous" people who grew up there. But the shorter stories in this collection are the weakest. Some are mere trifles that must have popped into Maupassant's head and were then transcribed with no real development. Most are wholly predictable (none of O.Henry's twists) and written in flat workaday prose. Maupassant was a good writer, he penned a few gems, but these stories are not uniformly strong.