The horla: A classic of mystery and terror from the great Guy de Maupassant

by Guy de Maupassant

For literary purposes, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) only lived for ten years, which separates the date of publication of his first great work, "Ball of tallow" (1880), from the last, "The useless beauty" (1890 ). In such a short period he condensed an enormous production and versatility that allow us to discover the complexity of an author in which the romantic tradition, the assumption of positivist criteria, impressionist aesthetics, a symbolist recreation of the universe and a preview of surrealism will come together. that would come and that Maupassant brushes in his forays into the subconscious and in related themes such as madness or dreams. This edition aims to bring together with this selection of stories the thematic and structural diversity that characterized the set of short stories by the author. To the variety of composition is added the thematic variety. The fantasy genre is illustrated with one of his "El Horla". Madness, fear and death with "La loca", "El Fear" and "La mano". The theme of the Franco-Prussian war in "Mother Sauvage" and "Mademoiselle Fifi". A more traditional setting in «The Tellier house». The most symbolist and poetic Maupassant in "Sobre el agua". And worldly tales, not without humor, in "The Rondoli Sisters" and "The Crime of Uncle Boniface."

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Literature, Audiobook

31 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2021

About the author

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of 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.

Reviews

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This famous horror story is by Guy de Maupassant, who perfected the short story form, so one can expect that this will pack quite a punch in a few pages. It does.

It's an unusual take on a familiar subgenre, concerning a man who is convinced he is tormented by an invisible psychic vampire. Is this a case of something real but unseen and unknown? Or is the man just slowly going mad? We go through the narrator's journals over the course of one summer to unravel his tragic story.

"The Horla" is not necessarily scary, but was meant to make readers of the late 19th Century ponder the kind of phenomena that society was just starting to come to recognize as linked with the human mind. Psychiatry was in its earliest infancy, and the Western world was fascinated with mesmerism and psychic powers. This, this is a gothic folktale translated for the post-industrial age of urban legends.

SCORE: 4 Horla out of 5

[Kylie! · Rating 3 out of 5]

rip Guy you would have loved anti psychotics ❤️

[João Vicente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que belo exemplar de Literatura Brasileira.
Afinal, se o Horlá é uma criatura que veio para a França numa galera brasileira, isso é um claro sinal de que o livro pertence ao Brasil - e obviamente significa também que, apesar de ser francês e de escrever em francês e de nunca ter estado no Brasil, Guy de Maupassant passa a ser oficialmente parte do cânone literário brasileiro.
VAI BRAZIL-ZIL-ZIL, FIU FIU 🇧🇷 🇧🇷 🇧🇷 🇧🇷

[Tamara Vidić · Rating 4 out of 5]

I too wish I could travel to Paris after having a bad dream!
What a fabulous novella which serves as a reminder of how happy our lives are for we have not felt the true terror.

[Madhab Dwibedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute book
great imagination filled in it

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Horror Short Stories #Anthologies

Guy de Maupassant’s The Horla is a masterful exploration of psychological horror and the uncanny, blending supernatural suggestion with intense introspection.

Written in the late nineteenth century, the story exemplifies Maupassant’s unique capacity to fuse realism with the spectral, creating a narrative that is both intellectually engaging and deeply unsettling. At its core, the story probes the fragility of the human mind when confronted with forces beyond comprehension, raising enduring questions about perception, sanity, and the unseen.

The tale’s impact arises largely from its atmosphere and narrative voice. Presented as a journal or confession, the protagonist’s first-person perspective immerses the reader in the gradual erosion of rationality and control.

Maupassant skillfully employs ambiguity: it is often unclear whether the horror is an external supernatural presence or the product of a deteriorating psyche. This ambiguity heightens suspense, as the reader experiences fear alongside the narrator, uncertain of the boundary between reality and imagination. The prose is concise yet evocative, with subtle imagery and repetition that intensify the story’s claustrophobic tension.

Comparatively, The Horla aligns with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, particularly in its psychological focus and exploration of human vulnerability.

Like Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, Maupassant examines the interplay between perception, guilt, and obsession, crafting horror that is as much internal as it is external. Similarly, the story resonates with Sheridan Le Fanu’s Green Tea, where unseen forces challenge reason and provoke mounting dread, emphasising how psychological tension can rival or surpass conventional supernatural spectacle.

The story also bears comparison to M.R. James’ ghostly narratives, especially in the gradual, creeping introduction of the inexplicable. However, while James’ tales often situate the uncanny within a broader historical or scholarly context, Maupassant internalises the horror, centring it within the consciousness of an individual whose experience becomes increasingly unreliable. This focus on subjective terror anticipates modern psychological horror, influencing writers who blend inner turmoil with external menace.

Ultimately, The Horla is a timeless study of fear, perception, and the unknown. Its power lies in Maupassant’s skillful interweaving of suspense, psychological depth, and subtle supernatural suggestion, creating a story that is intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

The narrative lingers not through overt shock, but through the persistent unease of uncertainty and the haunting possibility that what is unseen may be incomprehensibly real. As such, it remains a landmark in the tradition of classic horror literature.

[Carla Parreira]

O narrador, que escreve em forma de diário, vive na Normandia e começa a relatar uma sensação estranha de perseguição após avistar um barco brasileiro. Essa sensação se intensifica, levando-o a ter noites de insônia e a sentir uma presença opressora. Para escapar dessa angústia, ele viaja para lugares como Ruan e Paris, mas a sensação de ser observado não desaparece. Durante uma visita ao Mont Saint-Michel, ele ouve histórias sobre seres estranhos que não podem ser percebidos pelos sentidos humanos, o que contribui para a atmosfera de mistério e loucura que permeia a narrativa. A obra, que flerta com o insólito, é uma representação do realismo literário, tensionando a linha entre o cotidiano e o sobrenatural, e se destaca como um clássico que explora a fragilidade da sanidade humana. O narrador, cada vez mais atormentado pela ideia de estar sendo perseguido por uma entidade desconhecida, realiza um experimento em seu quarto, colocando duas garrafas, uma com leite e outra com água, e cobrindo-as com um pano antes de dormir. Ao acordar, descobre que ambas estão vazias, embora não se lembre de ter se levantado para beber. Essa experiência intensifica sua paranoia e o leva a questionar sua sanidade de forma mais profunda. Ele reflete sobre a natureza da loucura, reconhecendo que muitos loucos mantêm clareza em diversos aspectos da vida, mas são tragados por um ponto específico de demência. Essa ambiguidade entre a realidade e a imaginação é um dos pilares da narrativa, conforme discutido por teóricos como Todorov, que exploram a literatura fantástica e a linha tênue entre o natural e o sobrenatural. O ser que o atormenta é chamado de Horlá, um nome que sugere algo que vem de fora, reforçando a ideia de uma presença alienígena em sua vida. O texto, embora do século XIX, é acessível, mas a essência do título se perde na tradução. Maupassant mergulha nas profundezas do terror psicológico, explorando o que pode ser mais aterrorizante do que a própria mente humana. O narrador se sente como um espectador de sua própria vida, dominado por essa força invisível que controla seus pensamentos e ações, levando-o a um estado de desespero e impotência. A obra não se limita a um relato de fantasmas, mas aborda temas complexos como loucura, histeria e a influência mental, convidando o leitor a refletir sobre a existência do Horlá e a natureza da realidade.

[Dhimma Ayogu (altoreluwa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Horla had me asking myself nonstop if this man was actually mad or if he was truly seeing something. Is it sleep paralysis? Insomnia? Or is a real unseen presence haunting him? And it sincerely kept me suspended between reality and delusion in a way that feels too real. Shivers*

The mc stays wrestling with human limitations, especially how little control we really have over the mind, things we see/know. The book shows how the things we cannot fully understand can become a perpetual disturbance. And honestly, dwelling on such mysteries too deeply can drag anyone into insanity… tbh. I think that was part of his delirium tho and what eventually led to his downfall, if I may say.

Perfect read!!!🫶🏽

[PulpMonkey (Chompa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this from Horrorbabble with narration by Ian Gordon. Gordon is great as always.

This is my start into Guy de Maupassant. I learned about him today and that he was an influencer of many writers including H.P. Lovecraft. I also learned that (from Wikipedia) "in his later years he developed a constant desire for solitude, an obsession for self-preservation, and a fear of death and paranoia of persecution caused by the syphilis he had contracted in his youth."

The Horla shows a person who becomes convinced he is being stalked by an invisible creature. The main character progressively becomes more paranoid and madder as time goes on.

I really enjoyed this.

[Autumn Longley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this short story, it’s a beautiful, unique way to write a “diary of a mad man” with leaving the audience on an open ending to decide whether they think our main character was “mad” or if this entity was real. I was sucked into the story the more doubtful he became due to his personality at the beginning of the story beings completely different at the end.

[Inmywords · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krótka nowelka ze wspaniałym klimatem. Główny bohater zauważa że w jego domu dzieją się dziwne rzeczy. Na tyle drobne że zastanawia się czy tego nie wymyślił, może to przeoczenie, albo wyobraźnia, ale... No właśnie. Ale.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

« There can be no doubt that loneliness is dangerous to active minds. We need round us men who think and talk. When we live alone for long periods, we people the void with phantoms »

And yet it truly was an invisible vampiric supernatural entity. Thats what you get for skepticism.

[Nothing · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is a Man's descend into madness told through journal entries rather than an actual horror

[Carlos Guerrero]

This was a cool take on vampires. A bit too short. The copy I had included three different versions of the story that he had written

[Цветан Димитров · Rating 3 out of 5]

leave my fucking milk alone FOR GODS SAKE

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very weird and strange short story, but enjoyable all the same. Delving into what some would call madness.

[gh0stwb · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was spooky I liked it

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man admitted himself into an asylum for reasons he explained to a panel of doctors. A rather interesting supernatural/ horror story, something very different and unusual

[sasha m · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. this story is so unique and thought provoking. it plays around with my deepest darkest fear. the unknown. the invisible stalker lurking in your house.

[Emmazzz... Tomato · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a wonderfully intriguing story I was hooked! def recommend 👌 so goodd

[Masie Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Irish fairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was he insane?

[Margot Planté b · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maman m’a bien conseillé

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epitome of mind or matter—is my experience real or imagined? Very well done and a quick read. There’s no reason not to read it if you like classic horror. Magnifique!