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The Tales of Guy de Maupassant
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472 pages, Leather Bound
First published January 1, 1890
115 people are currently reading
688 people want to read
About the author
Guy de Maupassant
7,492 books3,051 followersHenri 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.
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February 13, 2020
Portrait of the French Author as a Young Man - Guy De Maupassant, 1850-1893
I must admit that I'm perplexed, completely at a loss. I need help. Please, someone tell me why Barry Yourgrau gave the title De Maupassant to his below flash fiction. All suggestions, no matter how outlandish, are most appreciated.
DE MAUPASSANT
A man wakes up and yawns and gets out of bed. He feels for his slippers with is feet. His right slipper won't fit. The man looks down and sees the reason: his right foot has grown to monstrous proportions. It must have happened in his sleep. He sits on the side of the bed with his mouth hanging open.
Nothing helps to modify this gigantic appendage's unbelievable dimensions. The man takes half a dozen icy showers, and then sits on the pot frantically kneading his hands while his foot wallows ina tub of ice water. The huge toes stick up above the surface like forms of sea life. Shivering, the man begins to realize that this is the way it's going to be, he'll just have to get used to living on these new terms. But how, with such a grotesque-looking foot! The vistas of shame, of self-loathing, make his head swim.
He hauls the foot back into the bedroom and starts dressing around it. He has a special date for this afternoon - of all afternoons! With great care he at last confronts the wrapping of the foot, trying to camouflage it as best he can as something socially acceptable. Socks won't work; he ends up using a T-shirt and then a scarf. The results look wretchedly absurd and alarming. In disgust the man hobbles to the phone to call up the girl and cancel. There's no dial tone. the phone is out of order. The man hurls the receiver at the wall. He looks at his watch. She'll just be leaving now. He lets out a moan of anguish and sinks onto the bed and covers his face in his hands. The foot protrudes from the heavily scissored bottom of its trouser leg like something ugly from the zoo lashed in place there.
Half an hour later the man plods awkwardly through the doors of the bar. Luckily, it's raining and the bar is dark. He wears his great-skirted overcoat. His heart rises into his mouth as he sees her at a table. But lucky again, her back is towards him. He forces a brave, almost livid grin and goes up behind her and then launches himself rapidly into the seat opposite her, so she doesn't have time to see all of him. She gasps. His grin freezes. She wears a black, impenetrable veil over the major portion of her face. Neither of them speaks. The man stares. The veil is so large. So wide. He realizes she is sobbing; tears hang from her chin. "I tried to call you . . . I tried to call you . . ." she is blurting softly. A horrible fear builds in the man, like a flame catching. "Let me . . . please . . ." he murmurs. He reaches across the table, to lift aside the veil. But with a dreadful sob she grabs his wrist and holds it away, tossing her huge head clumsily from side to side.
Photo of author as a young man - Barry Yourgrau, born 1949
February 22, 2018
I am at loss for words to describe the effortless eloquence of Maupassant or the Master of Short Stories as he is widely acknowledged.
December 13, 2017
Giaceva negletto in un angolo buio del kobo, sembrava uguale agli altri, due sole parole: Maupassant, Racconti. Lo apro. Milletrecentocinquanta pagine, centosettanta racconti. La tentazione di passare ad altro è forte, mi assale un vago timore, non amo i libri ponderosi, non amo i racconti. Timore, ma potrebbe essere timor panico se sapessi che li lega un unico tema che non mi è troppo congeniale: l'amore fra uomo e donna.
Leggo il primo. Una chicca. Poi il secondo, il terzo. Son come le ciliegie. Racconti brevi, semplici, densi, succosi, vividi, pochi tratti e la scena appare particolareggiata, in cinemascope, a colori. Che meraviglia, che fantasia di situazioni, che descrizioni della natura!
Mi hanno tenuto buona compagnia per un mese intero, questi racconti, merito anche della bella traduzione di Oreste Del Buono. Ora che li ho finiti (mi verrebbe da dire "li ho già finiti"), permettete un avvertimento da amico: non leggeteli, state alla larga, possono dare dipendenza!
E ora cosa leggo?
Leggo il primo. Una chicca. Poi il secondo, il terzo. Son come le ciliegie. Racconti brevi, semplici, densi, succosi, vividi, pochi tratti e la scena appare particolareggiata, in cinemascope, a colori. Che meraviglia, che fantasia di situazioni, che descrizioni della natura!
Mi hanno tenuto buona compagnia per un mese intero, questi racconti, merito anche della bella traduzione di Oreste Del Buono. Ora che li ho finiti (mi verrebbe da dire "li ho già finiti"), permettete un avvertimento da amico: non leggeteli, state alla larga, possono dare dipendenza!
E ora cosa leggo?
June 10, 2013
According to the Introduction to this collection, the author, Guy de Maupassant and his Russian contemporary, Anton Chekhov were the consummate practitioners in the art of short story writing, setting a standard beyond which there seems little room for development. Although the conclusion is arguable, there is no doubt that Maupassant is a master of his genre. His stories are alternately harsh and terrifying (A Piece of String, The Dowry, The Child), tender and nostalgic/loving (Happiness, Simon’s Papa, The Story of a Farm Girl, Chali, Clochette), bawdy and wryly humorous (Madame Tellier’s Establishment, The Old Man, The Signal) or bittersweet (Two Friends, Roly-Poly, My Uncle Jules).
There are some which are harder to classify so simply. In fact even those above-named are more complex than the categories to which I’ve so assigned them for illustration’s sake. My reading of these tales often reminded me of selecting one of those every-flavored beans ... with the truly gross possibilities removed that is. You bit into each new bean and didn't know what kind of literary 'flavor' awaited you! Tantalizing!
Maupassant (and other short story writers I’ve read recently) has awakened an unknown appreciation for the genre. I expect I’ll be returning to these fine stories and reading short stories by Chekhov and other authors as well.
There are some which are harder to classify so simply. In fact even those above-named are more complex than the categories to which I’ve so assigned them for illustration’s sake. My reading of these tales often reminded me of selecting one of those every-flavored beans ... with the truly gross possibilities removed that is. You bit into each new bean and didn't know what kind of literary 'flavor' awaited you! Tantalizing!
Maupassant (and other short story writers I’ve read recently) has awakened an unknown appreciation for the genre. I expect I’ll be returning to these fine stories and reading short stories by Chekhov and other authors as well.
February 28, 2018
Maupassant is my pick for the best short story writer, right along with Poe, King, and Saki. He is flexible in his narrative styles and plot choices. He can be by turns sentimental and deeply pessimistic. This means he can often surprise the reader and his plot twists are superb. The end product is a sweeping tapestry of France in the Second Empire and early Third Republic, both the country and the city, with characters from across every class.
June 14, 2019
excellent
July 17, 2019
Guy writes about great subjects like prostitutes having grace, hunting fanatics with erectile dysfunction, cynical married men demanding younger men be weary of women, and picking up dates at a cemetery. Dislike how he lived his personal life, but his short stories are so enjoyable. Wish the murder suicide story “Love” was included in here. Maybe start with it online then jump into more if you like.
August 25, 2018
La raffinatezza di Maupassant non ha eguali: ci pennella dei racconti di gente normale, che vive le gioie e i dolori di tutti i giorni, nonostante siamo nella fine dell'800 a Parigi e dintorni. Ci sono le vite dei ricchi e dei poveri, in entrambi i casi gli stessi problemi: gelosie, invidie, fughe, scappatelle, amori e odi. E la dotta delicatezza del narratore francese che è sempre un piacere da leggere e assaporare.
April 27, 2020
3 3/4 stars
February 27, 2014
Maupassant scrisse oltre trecento racconti. Una miniera. Una straordinaria varietà per genere, temi, ambientazioni. Ovviamente, ce ne sono di magnifici e di prescindibili. Per dare un'idea in poche righe si può provare solo a trovare qualche minimo comun denominatore.
Intanto, il gusto intenso e persistente della lettura. Di una lettura sapida, aromatica. Aprendo il libro ho avuto più volte la sensazione come quando entri in una stanza dove hanno azzeccato il deodorante, o dove ci sono i fiori giusti. Senza esagerare nel dosaggio. Come se piuttosto che avercelo portato, il profumo lì ci abitasse da sempre per fatti suoi.
Hanno tutti la semplicità stilistica della grande scrittura. Un che di soffuso anche quando raccontano le peggio durezze e i peggio orrori dell'umano. I più belli, sono tali proprio in questa chiave: una scrittura leggera, piana, di grandissima eleganza descrittiva e con trame che riescono ad essere stringenti, coinvolgenti, spesso inquietanti proprio per la loro misura, persino per la loro prevedibilità. Non ci si annoia mai perché avverti sempre la presenza di una vitalità animale, cinica, disincantata. Qualcosa che tenta di anestetizzarsi raccontando vita come se l'avesse mangiata più che vista o vissuta o immaginata. Con un pessimismo inconsolabile ed una disperazione tenuta nascosta a fatica.
Nonostante questo disincanto o grazie ad esso hanno un senso di libertà che non conosce ipocrisie, che non ha paura di oltrepassare i limiti del corretto, del moralmente tollerabile. La demolizione della retorica della famiglia, della genitorialità, dell'amore romantico, dell'amicizia è feroce. Con un angolo di visione del mondo spudoratamente maschile e maschilista che rimanda di certo a Schopenhauer, ma che sembra essere impressa nella carne, circolare nel sangue, più che esser stata elaborata dal cervello. Una misoginia spesso impietosa, disinvolta, tetragona.
Poi c'è la natura. Bellissima. Soprattutto quella acquatica, fatta dei canali e dei fiumi di Francia, del mare di Normandia. Ma anche quella dei paesaggi che scorrono dai finestrini dei treni o che vengono penetrati rincorrendo una preda di caccia.
Tra paesaggi umani e della natura, rileggendo questi racconti nell'epoca della televisione e del cinema, pensi al ruolo che ha svolto una certa letteratura o che è stato di certi pittori, quando il mondo solo loro potevano portartelo a casa. E solo loro potevano fartici correre dentro con l'immaginazione, come un treno su binari che solo il pennello o la penna sanno tracciare in una stanza.
Intanto, il gusto intenso e persistente della lettura. Di una lettura sapida, aromatica. Aprendo il libro ho avuto più volte la sensazione come quando entri in una stanza dove hanno azzeccato il deodorante, o dove ci sono i fiori giusti. Senza esagerare nel dosaggio. Come se piuttosto che avercelo portato, il profumo lì ci abitasse da sempre per fatti suoi.
Hanno tutti la semplicità stilistica della grande scrittura. Un che di soffuso anche quando raccontano le peggio durezze e i peggio orrori dell'umano. I più belli, sono tali proprio in questa chiave: una scrittura leggera, piana, di grandissima eleganza descrittiva e con trame che riescono ad essere stringenti, coinvolgenti, spesso inquietanti proprio per la loro misura, persino per la loro prevedibilità. Non ci si annoia mai perché avverti sempre la presenza di una vitalità animale, cinica, disincantata. Qualcosa che tenta di anestetizzarsi raccontando vita come se l'avesse mangiata più che vista o vissuta o immaginata. Con un pessimismo inconsolabile ed una disperazione tenuta nascosta a fatica.
Nonostante questo disincanto o grazie ad esso hanno un senso di libertà che non conosce ipocrisie, che non ha paura di oltrepassare i limiti del corretto, del moralmente tollerabile. La demolizione della retorica della famiglia, della genitorialità, dell'amore romantico, dell'amicizia è feroce. Con un angolo di visione del mondo spudoratamente maschile e maschilista che rimanda di certo a Schopenhauer, ma che sembra essere impressa nella carne, circolare nel sangue, più che esser stata elaborata dal cervello. Una misoginia spesso impietosa, disinvolta, tetragona.
Poi c'è la natura. Bellissima. Soprattutto quella acquatica, fatta dei canali e dei fiumi di Francia, del mare di Normandia. Ma anche quella dei paesaggi che scorrono dai finestrini dei treni o che vengono penetrati rincorrendo una preda di caccia.
Tra paesaggi umani e della natura, rileggendo questi racconti nell'epoca della televisione e del cinema, pensi al ruolo che ha svolto una certa letteratura o che è stato di certi pittori, quando il mondo solo loro potevano portartelo a casa. E solo loro potevano fartici correre dentro con l'immaginazione, come un treno su binari che solo il pennello o la penna sanno tracciare in una stanza.
June 2, 2025
4.17⭐
The Flayed Hand 4⭐
On the River 4⭐
The Dispenser of Holy Water 4⭐
Lieutenant Lare's Marriage 3⭐
Simon's Papa 5⭐
A Page of Unpublished History 4.5⭐
Ball of Fat 5⭐
Suicides 5⭐
Sundays of a Parisian Bourgeois 4.25⭐
The Love of Long Ago 5⭐
A Country Excursion 4.25⭐
A Family Affair 5⭐
An Adventure in Paris 4⭐
In the Spring 4.25⭐
Paul's Mistress 4.25⭐
The Maison Tellier 5⭐
The Story of a Farm Girl 3.5⭐
A Cock Crowed 3.25⭐
A Dead Woman's Secret 5⭐
A Miracle (A Christmas Tale) 4.5⭐
A Normandy Joke 5⭐
A Parricide 4.25⭐
A Passion 4⭐
A Wedding Gift 3.5⭐
A Widow 4.25⭐
A Wife's Confession 3.5⭐
Always Lock the Door 3.5⭐
Am I Insane? 5⭐
An Artifice 5⭐
An Odd Feast [A Christmas Eve Festival; Un réveillon] 5⭐
An Unreasonable Woman [A True Story] 3.5⭐
Christmas Eve 3.5⭐
Dreams 3.5⭐
Father Matthew 3.5⭐
Fear 5⭐
Forgiveness 3⭐
In the Moonlight 4.5⭐
Lasting Love 4.5⭐
The Legend of Mont St. Michel 3.25⭐
Madame Baptiste 5⭐
Mademoiselle Fifi 5⭐
Magnetism 3⭐
Marroca 3.25⭐
A Million 3.25⭐
Minuet 5⭐
Moonlight 4.5⭐
My Uncle Sosthenes 4.5⭐
My Wife 4.25⭐
Relics of the Past 5⭐
Rust 4.25⭐
The Shepherd's Leap [Le saut du berger] 5⭐
That Pig of a Morin 3.5⭐
The Adopted Son 5⭐
The Bed 4.5⭐
The Blind Man 5⭐
The Cake 3.25⭐
The Corsican Bandit 4.75⭐
The Impolite Sex 3⭐
The Kiss 5⭐
The Log 3.5⭐
The Madwoman 5⭐
The Mountain Pool 5⭐
The Penguin's Rock 4⭐
The Relic 3⭐
The Robber (A Lucky Burglar) 3.25⭐
The Snipe [The Woodcock] 3⭐
The Son 4⭐
The Watchdog (Pierrot) 5⭐
The Will 3.5⭐
The Wolf 3.5⭐
Words of Love 3.25⭐
Woman's Wiles 4⭐
Yveline Samoris 3.5⭐
A Crisis [In the Bedroom] 4.5⭐
A Duel 4⭐
A Humble Drama 4⭐
A Mother of Monsters 4.25⭐
A Philosopher [Un Sage] 2.25⭐
A Poor Girl [L’odyssée d’une fille] 3.5⭐
A Practical Joke [Practical Jokes] 4⭐
A Queer Night in Paris 4⭐
A Sister's Confession 4.25⭐
A Traveler's Tale [Train Story; En Voyage] 5⭐
A Vendetta 5⭐
An Affair of State 4⭐
At Sea 4.25⭐
Beside a Dead Man (Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse) 4⭐
Caresses [les Caresses] 3.5⭐
Denis 4.5⭐
Father Milon 4.25⭐
Friend Joseph 5⭐
Friend Patience 2⭐
He? 4.25⭐
Hippolyte's Claim (The Case of Madame Luneau) 5⭐
How He Got the Legion of Honor 3.25⭐
Mademoiselle Cocotte 4.25⭐
Martine 4⭐
Miss Harriet 5⭐
Monsieur Jocaste 4.25⭐
Mother and Son 3⭐
My Uncle Jules 3.5⭐
Old Judas 4.25⭐
Queen Hortense 4⭐
Regret 5⭐
Saint Anthony 4.25⭐
That Costly Ride 4⭐
The Accursed Bread 2.5⭐
The Avenger 5 ⭐
The Awakening 4⭐
The Child (L'enfant #2) (1883) 5⭐
The Child #2 (Le petit, The little One #2) 5⭐
The Conservatory 4⭐
The Donkey 3⭐
The Effeminates 3.5⭐
The False Gems 3.25⭐
The Father 5⭐
The First Snowfall 3.5⭐
The Hand 3.5⭐
The Model 3.5⭐
The Mustache 3⭐
The Orient 4⭐
The Orphan 4.25⭐
The Piece of String 5⭐
The Specter 4.25⭐
The Substitute 4.5⭐
The Wedding Night [Rabies?] 4.5⭐
The Window 3.5⭐
The Wooden Shoes 3⭐
Theodule Sabot's Confession 3.25⭐
Timbuctoo 3.5⭐
Two Friends 5⭐
Walter Schnaffs' Adventure 5⭐
What Was the Matter with Andre? (Le mal d'Andre) 4.25⭐
A Cremation 4⭐
A Father's Confession 4.5⭐
A French Enoch Arden [Le Retour] 3⭐
A Meeting 3.5⭐
A Mistake [Boniface’s Crime Case; Old Boniface’s Crime] 4.25⭐
A Peculiar Case 3.5⭐
A Recollection 3.5⭐
A Sale 3⭐
A Stroll 5⭐
A Tress of Hair 4⭐
Abandoned 5⭐
An idyll 4⭐
Bed No. 29 [Le Lit 29] 5⭐
Bertha 4⭐
Bombard 3.5⭐
Chali 1⭐
Coco 5⭐
Confessing 3⭐
A Coward 4⭐
Discovery 4.25⭐
Farewell! 4⭐
Fear 5⭐
Happiness 5⭐
In the Courtroom [Tribunaux rustiques] 4⭐
Letter Found on a Drowned Man 5⭐
Love's Awakening [The Dowry] 3.5⭐
Madness (Un fou?, Was he mad?) 3⭐
Misti 3.25⭐
Mohammed-Fripouille 4⭐
Mother Sauvage 4.5⭐
My Landlady (La patronne) 5⭐
Notes of a Traveler (Notes d'un voyageur) 3.25⭐
Room No. Eleven 4⭐
Rose 4.25⭐
Solitude 5⭐
The Baptism 4.25⭐
The Beggar 5⭐
The Colonel's Ideas 3.5⭐
The Diamond Necklace 5⭐
The Drunkard 5⭐
The Gamekeeper 4⭐
The Grave 5⭐
The Heritage 5⭐
The Horrible 3.5⭐
The Legacy 3.25⭐
The Little Cask 4.25⭐
The Moribund 4.25⭐
The Patron 3.5⭐
The Prisoners 3.5⭐
The Rondoli Sisters 4⭐
The Spasm 4⭐
The Umbrella 5⭐
The Wardrobe 3.5⭐
Waiter, a Bock! 4.25⭐
Yvette 4.5⭐
A Repulse (Un echec, Checkmate) 4⭐
All Over 4.25⭐
Belhomme's Beast 4.5⭐
Blue and White 3.25⭐
Doubtful Happiness (L'epingle, Fascination) 3.25⭐
For Sale 4⭐
Indiscretion 3.25⭐
Joseph 3⭐
Letter from a Madman 4.5⭐
Little Louise Roque 5⭐
Monsieur Parent 4⭐
My Twenty-Five Days 3⭐
Old Mongilet 3.5⭐
On the Railway (In the Train; En wagon) 5⭐
One Way (Le moyen de Roger, Roger's method) 3.5⭐
Our English Neighbors 3.4⭐
Saved 3.25⭐
The Christening 5⭐
The Deaf-Mute [The Snipes] 5⭐
Diary of a Madman [Un fou] 5⭐
The Revenge 5⭐
The Tobacco Shop [Ça ira] 4.25⭐
The Unknown 3.25⭐
Toine 3.25⭐
Two Little Soldiers 3.5⭐
A Divorce Case 3.5⭐
A Family 4⭐
A Warning Note 3⭐
Bellflower 4.25⭐
In the Wood 4⭐
Julie Romain 3.5⭐
Love (Amour, Love: Three Pages from a Hunter's Diary) 5⭐
Madame Parisse 3⭐
Mademoiselle Pearl 4⭐
Old Amable 4.5⭐
On Cats [Sur les chats] 3.5⭐
Rosalie Prudent 4⭐
The Devil 4.5⭐
The Farmer's Wife 3.5⭐
The Hermit 4⭐
The Hole (The Fishing Hole) 5⭐
The Horla 5⭐
The Inn 4⭐
Marquis de Fumerol 3⭐
The Question of Latin 3.5⭐
The Signal 4.5⭐
The Wreck 5⭐
A New Year's Gift 5⭐
A Vagabond 5⭐
Duchoux 4,25⭐
Epiphany 4.25⭐
Madame Hermet 4.5⭐
Madame Husson's Rosier 3.5 ⭐
Modern Ghosts (Le Horla 2) 5⭐
Moiron 4.5⭐
The Assassin 3.25⭐
The Baroness 4.25⭐
The Door 3.5⭐
The Father 5⭐
The Night 5⭐
The Non-Commissioned Officer 3⭐
The Orderly 4⭐
The Rabbit 3⭐
The Trip of Le Horla 3.5⭐
Was It a Dream? 5⭐
A Portrait 4⭐
Divorce 4⭐
Our Letters 5⭐
The Cripple 4.5⭐
The Double Pins 4⭐
The Parrot 4.25⭐
The Twenty-Five Francs of the Mother Superior 4.25⭐
Alexandre 3.25⭐
Allouma 3.25⭐
Boitelle 5⭐
Hautot Senior and Hautot Junior 5⭐
One Evening 5⭐
The Assignation 4⭐
The Magic Couch 4.25⭐
The Mask 4⭐
The Port 3.5⭐
The Test 4⭐
Fly 3⭐
The Olive Grove 5⭐
Useless Beauty 5⭐
Who Knows? 3.25⭐
Tombstones 5⭐
After 4.25⭐
The Peddler 4.25⭐
The Flayed Hand 4⭐
On the River 4⭐
The Dispenser of Holy Water 4⭐
Lieutenant Lare's Marriage 3⭐
Simon's Papa 5⭐
A Page of Unpublished History 4.5⭐
Ball of Fat 5⭐
Suicides 5⭐
Sundays of a Parisian Bourgeois 4.25⭐
The Love of Long Ago 5⭐
A Country Excursion 4.25⭐
A Family Affair 5⭐
An Adventure in Paris 4⭐
In the Spring 4.25⭐
Paul's Mistress 4.25⭐
The Maison Tellier 5⭐
The Story of a Farm Girl 3.5⭐
A Cock Crowed 3.25⭐
A Dead Woman's Secret 5⭐
A Miracle (A Christmas Tale) 4.5⭐
A Normandy Joke 5⭐
A Parricide 4.25⭐
A Passion 4⭐
A Wedding Gift 3.5⭐
A Widow 4.25⭐
A Wife's Confession 3.5⭐
Always Lock the Door 3.5⭐
Am I Insane? 5⭐
An Artifice 5⭐
An Odd Feast [A Christmas Eve Festival; Un réveillon] 5⭐
An Unreasonable Woman [A True Story] 3.5⭐
Christmas Eve 3.5⭐
Dreams 3.5⭐
Father Matthew 3.5⭐
Fear 5⭐
Forgiveness 3⭐
In the Moonlight 4.5⭐
Lasting Love 4.5⭐
The Legend of Mont St. Michel 3.25⭐
Madame Baptiste 5⭐
Mademoiselle Fifi 5⭐
Magnetism 3⭐
Marroca 3.25⭐
A Million 3.25⭐
Minuet 5⭐
Moonlight 4.5⭐
My Uncle Sosthenes 4.5⭐
My Wife 4.25⭐
Relics of the Past 5⭐
Rust 4.25⭐
The Shepherd's Leap [Le saut du berger] 5⭐
That Pig of a Morin 3.5⭐
The Adopted Son 5⭐
The Bed 4.5⭐
The Blind Man 5⭐
The Cake 3.25⭐
The Corsican Bandit 4.75⭐
The Impolite Sex 3⭐
The Kiss 5⭐
The Log 3.5⭐
The Madwoman 5⭐
The Mountain Pool 5⭐
The Penguin's Rock 4⭐
The Relic 3⭐
The Robber (A Lucky Burglar) 3.25⭐
The Snipe [The Woodcock] 3⭐
The Son 4⭐
The Watchdog (Pierrot) 5⭐
The Will 3.5⭐
The Wolf 3.5⭐
Words of Love 3.25⭐
Woman's Wiles 4⭐
Yveline Samoris 3.5⭐
A Crisis [In the Bedroom] 4.5⭐
A Duel 4⭐
A Humble Drama 4⭐
A Mother of Monsters 4.25⭐
A Philosopher [Un Sage] 2.25⭐
A Poor Girl [L’odyssée d’une fille] 3.5⭐
A Practical Joke [Practical Jokes] 4⭐
A Queer Night in Paris 4⭐
A Sister's Confession 4.25⭐
A Traveler's Tale [Train Story; En Voyage] 5⭐
A Vendetta 5⭐
An Affair of State 4⭐
At Sea 4.25⭐
Beside a Dead Man (Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse) 4⭐
Caresses [les Caresses] 3.5⭐
Denis 4.5⭐
Father Milon 4.25⭐
Friend Joseph 5⭐
Friend Patience 2⭐
He? 4.25⭐
Hippolyte's Claim (The Case of Madame Luneau) 5⭐
How He Got the Legion of Honor 3.25⭐
Mademoiselle Cocotte 4.25⭐
Martine 4⭐
Miss Harriet 5⭐
Monsieur Jocaste 4.25⭐
Mother and Son 3⭐
My Uncle Jules 3.5⭐
Old Judas 4.25⭐
Queen Hortense 4⭐
Regret 5⭐
Saint Anthony 4.25⭐
That Costly Ride 4⭐
The Accursed Bread 2.5⭐
The Avenger 5 ⭐
The Awakening 4⭐
The Child (L'enfant #2) (1883) 5⭐
The Child #2 (Le petit, The little One #2) 5⭐
The Conservatory 4⭐
The Donkey 3⭐
The Effeminates 3.5⭐
The False Gems 3.25⭐
The Father 5⭐
The First Snowfall 3.5⭐
The Hand 3.5⭐
The Model 3.5⭐
The Mustache 3⭐
The Orient 4⭐
The Orphan 4.25⭐
The Piece of String 5⭐
The Specter 4.25⭐
The Substitute 4.5⭐
The Wedding Night [Rabies?] 4.5⭐
The Window 3.5⭐
The Wooden Shoes 3⭐
Theodule Sabot's Confession 3.25⭐
Timbuctoo 3.5⭐
Two Friends 5⭐
Walter Schnaffs' Adventure 5⭐
What Was the Matter with Andre? (Le mal d'Andre) 4.25⭐
A Cremation 4⭐
A Father's Confession 4.5⭐
A French Enoch Arden [Le Retour] 3⭐
A Meeting 3.5⭐
A Mistake [Boniface’s Crime Case; Old Boniface’s Crime] 4.25⭐
A Peculiar Case 3.5⭐
A Recollection 3.5⭐
A Sale 3⭐
A Stroll 5⭐
A Tress of Hair 4⭐
Abandoned 5⭐
An idyll 4⭐
Bed No. 29 [Le Lit 29] 5⭐
Bertha 4⭐
Bombard 3.5⭐
Chali 1⭐
Coco 5⭐
Confessing 3⭐
A Coward 4⭐
Discovery 4.25⭐
Farewell! 4⭐
Fear 5⭐
Happiness 5⭐
In the Courtroom [Tribunaux rustiques] 4⭐
Letter Found on a Drowned Man 5⭐
Love's Awakening [The Dowry] 3.5⭐
Madness (Un fou?, Was he mad?) 3⭐
Misti 3.25⭐
Mohammed-Fripouille 4⭐
Mother Sauvage 4.5⭐
My Landlady (La patronne) 5⭐
Notes of a Traveler (Notes d'un voyageur) 3.25⭐
Room No. Eleven 4⭐
Rose 4.25⭐
Solitude 5⭐
The Baptism 4.25⭐
The Beggar 5⭐
The Colonel's Ideas 3.5⭐
The Diamond Necklace 5⭐
The Drunkard 5⭐
The Gamekeeper 4⭐
The Grave 5⭐
The Heritage 5⭐
The Horrible 3.5⭐
The Legacy 3.25⭐
The Little Cask 4.25⭐
The Moribund 4.25⭐
The Patron 3.5⭐
The Prisoners 3.5⭐
The Rondoli Sisters 4⭐
The Spasm 4⭐
The Umbrella 5⭐
The Wardrobe 3.5⭐
Waiter, a Bock! 4.25⭐
Yvette 4.5⭐
A Repulse (Un echec, Checkmate) 4⭐
All Over 4.25⭐
Belhomme's Beast 4.5⭐
Blue and White 3.25⭐
Doubtful Happiness (L'epingle, Fascination) 3.25⭐
For Sale 4⭐
Indiscretion 3.25⭐
Joseph 3⭐
Letter from a Madman 4.5⭐
Little Louise Roque 5⭐
Monsieur Parent 4⭐
My Twenty-Five Days 3⭐
Old Mongilet 3.5⭐
On the Railway (In the Train; En wagon) 5⭐
One Way (Le moyen de Roger, Roger's method) 3.5⭐
Our English Neighbors 3.4⭐
Saved 3.25⭐
The Christening 5⭐
The Deaf-Mute [The Snipes] 5⭐
Diary of a Madman [Un fou] 5⭐
The Revenge 5⭐
The Tobacco Shop [Ça ira] 4.25⭐
The Unknown 3.25⭐
Toine 3.25⭐
Two Little Soldiers 3.5⭐
A Divorce Case 3.5⭐
A Family 4⭐
A Warning Note 3⭐
Bellflower 4.25⭐
In the Wood 4⭐
Julie Romain 3.5⭐
Love (Amour, Love: Three Pages from a Hunter's Diary) 5⭐
Madame Parisse 3⭐
Mademoiselle Pearl 4⭐
Old Amable 4.5⭐
On Cats [Sur les chats] 3.5⭐
Rosalie Prudent 4⭐
The Devil 4.5⭐
The Farmer's Wife 3.5⭐
The Hermit 4⭐
The Hole (The Fishing Hole) 5⭐
The Horla 5⭐
The Inn 4⭐
Marquis de Fumerol 3⭐
The Question of Latin 3.5⭐
The Signal 4.5⭐
The Wreck 5⭐
A New Year's Gift 5⭐
A Vagabond 5⭐
Duchoux 4,25⭐
Epiphany 4.25⭐
Madame Hermet 4.5⭐
Madame Husson's Rosier 3.5 ⭐
Modern Ghosts (Le Horla 2) 5⭐
Moiron 4.5⭐
The Assassin 3.25⭐
The Baroness 4.25⭐
The Door 3.5⭐
The Father 5⭐
The Night 5⭐
The Non-Commissioned Officer 3⭐
The Orderly 4⭐
The Rabbit 3⭐
The Trip of Le Horla 3.5⭐
Was It a Dream? 5⭐
A Portrait 4⭐
Divorce 4⭐
Our Letters 5⭐
The Cripple 4.5⭐
The Double Pins 4⭐
The Parrot 4.25⭐
The Twenty-Five Francs of the Mother Superior 4.25⭐
Alexandre 3.25⭐
Allouma 3.25⭐
Boitelle 5⭐
Hautot Senior and Hautot Junior 5⭐
One Evening 5⭐
The Assignation 4⭐
The Magic Couch 4.25⭐
The Mask 4⭐
The Port 3.5⭐
The Test 4⭐
Fly 3⭐
The Olive Grove 5⭐
Useless Beauty 5⭐
Who Knows? 3.25⭐
Tombstones 5⭐
After 4.25⭐
The Peddler 4.25⭐
April 19, 2017
A compilation of short stories, there is never a dull moment, the narrative skills of this author are marvelous, with just the right amount of plot. Little doses of adventure will make u want to visit Normandy and take a stroll down Seine. One of my favorites.
July 22, 2021
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3703220.html
I had picked up a French collection of de Maupassant's short stories ages ago on a visit to my sister in Burgundy, tried and realised my French is not good enough to appreciate the original, and then picked up this from the internets.
It starts very strongly with "Boule de Suif", and then a number of other stories set in the imemdiate aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. The German occupation of most of France in the early 1870s was not really something I had thought about much before, but it was clearly a big contributor to the national trauma of defeat. The title character in "Boule de Suif" is a sex worker, and so are the protagonists of another memorable story, "La Maison Tellier"; in general the best of them dig into the hypocrisy of conventional life, and the least good are just passing commentary.
The collection that I got is an electronic edition of the 13 volumes translated "by Albert M. C. McMaster, A. E. Henderson, Mme. Quesada and Others", first published in 1911 in New York. As noted above, it includes a few ringers which are not by Maupassant but by other writers; it also excludes his more spooky stories, eg "Le Horla", so cannot really be considered complete. There's a lot of them but I did not find them difficult to get through.
I had picked up a French collection of de Maupassant's short stories ages ago on a visit to my sister in Burgundy, tried and realised my French is not good enough to appreciate the original, and then picked up this from the internets.
It starts very strongly with "Boule de Suif", and then a number of other stories set in the imemdiate aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. The German occupation of most of France in the early 1870s was not really something I had thought about much before, but it was clearly a big contributor to the national trauma of defeat. The title character in "Boule de Suif" is a sex worker, and so are the protagonists of another memorable story, "La Maison Tellier"; in general the best of them dig into the hypocrisy of conventional life, and the least good are just passing commentary.
The collection that I got is an electronic edition of the 13 volumes translated "by Albert M. C. McMaster, A. E. Henderson, Mme. Quesada and Others", first published in 1911 in New York. As noted above, it includes a few ringers which are not by Maupassant but by other writers; it also excludes his more spooky stories, eg "Le Horla", so cannot really be considered complete. There's a lot of them but I did not find them difficult to get through.
April 10, 2022
Ray Bradbury told his students to read an essay, a short story and a poem every day.
And one of his short story recommendations was Guy de Maupassant, and with the wonders of ebooks, here they all are. And free.
> Here you will find the largest collection of Maupassant’s short stories available in English (277 short stories). As you will notice, this book DOES NOT INCLUDE the 65 fake Maupassant stories... stories that weren't written by Maupassant but are always included in all the other so-called complete editions.>
the WHAT now? fake stories? I cannot tell if my edition has the wrongly attributed ones or not. Shrugs. I did try to review each story, but the sheer volume of them overwhelmed me.
They are of their time, and very French [if that makes sense]. Lots of love, lust, affairs, secrets and lies. Odd ones of dreams and horror stories, future societies with benevolent suicide machines for those who wish to utilise it.
I had a moment of recognition when one of those motivational speakers tried to relate the story of the man who picked up a piece of string, was accused of theft and let it ruin his entire life. I just read that! The story is in here, aptly titled Piece of String.
Some of my favourite lines are below.
“We marry only once my child, because the world requires us to do so, but we may love twenty times in one lifetime because nature has made us like this.”
888
It was autumn, the russet-colored season of the year, and the leaves were whirling about on the grass like flights of birds. One noticed the smell of damp earth in the air, of the naked earth, like one smells the odor of the bare skin, when a woman’s dress falls off her, after a ball.
888
It was, however, indeed a sight to see my uncle when he had a Freemason to dinner. On meeting they shook hands in a manner that was irresistibly funny; one could see that they were going through a series of secret mysterious pressures. When I wished to put my uncle in a rage, I had only to tell him that dogs also have a manner which savors very much of Freemasonry, when they greet one another on meeting.
888
“I believe that that which pleases us in foreign women is their accent. As soon as a woman speaks our language badly we think she is charming, if she uses the wrong word she is exquisite and if she jabbers in an entirely unintelligible jargon, she becomes irresistible.
888
From the moment we can know almost nothing, and from the moment that everything is limitless, what remains? Does emptiness actually not exist? What does exist in this apparent emptiness? And this confused terror of the supernatural, which has haunted mankind since the birth of the world, is legitimate, since the supernatural is nothing other than what remains veiled to us!
888
So he [the Cure] imposed as a penance on every woman who had gone wrong that she should plant a walnut tree on the common. And every night lanterns were seen moving about like will-o’-the-wisps on the hillock, for the erring ones scarcely like to perform their penance in broad daylight. In two years there was no longer any room on the lands belonging to the village, and to-day they calculate that there are more than three thousand trees around the belfry which rings out the services amid their foliage. These are the Sins of the Cure. Since we have been seeking for so many ways of rewooding France, the Administration of Forests might surely enter into some arrangement with the clergy to employ a method so simple as that employed by this humble cure.
888
A little town, in fact, is like a large one. The incidents and amusements are less varied, but one makes more of them; one has fewer acquaintances, but one meets them more frequently. When you know all the windows in a street, each one of them interests you and puzzles you more than a whole street in Paris.
888
She was, as I have already said, an excitable little being, all on the surface, with rather a showy elegance. How can I explain myself? She was an ornament, not a home.
888
Think that never, do you understand, never, does a woman burn, tear or destroy the letters in which it is told her that she is loved.
888
4 stars
And one of his short story recommendations was Guy de Maupassant, and with the wonders of ebooks, here they all are. And free.
> Here you will find the largest collection of Maupassant’s short stories available in English (277 short stories). As you will notice, this book DOES NOT INCLUDE the 65 fake Maupassant stories... stories that weren't written by Maupassant but are always included in all the other so-called complete editions.>
the WHAT now? fake stories? I cannot tell if my edition has the wrongly attributed ones or not. Shrugs. I did try to review each story, but the sheer volume of them overwhelmed me.
They are of their time, and very French [if that makes sense]. Lots of love, lust, affairs, secrets and lies. Odd ones of dreams and horror stories, future societies with benevolent suicide machines for those who wish to utilise it.
I had a moment of recognition when one of those motivational speakers tried to relate the story of the man who picked up a piece of string, was accused of theft and let it ruin his entire life. I just read that! The story is in here, aptly titled Piece of String.
Some of my favourite lines are below.
“We marry only once my child, because the world requires us to do so, but we may love twenty times in one lifetime because nature has made us like this.”
888
It was autumn, the russet-colored season of the year, and the leaves were whirling about on the grass like flights of birds. One noticed the smell of damp earth in the air, of the naked earth, like one smells the odor of the bare skin, when a woman’s dress falls off her, after a ball.
888
It was, however, indeed a sight to see my uncle when he had a Freemason to dinner. On meeting they shook hands in a manner that was irresistibly funny; one could see that they were going through a series of secret mysterious pressures. When I wished to put my uncle in a rage, I had only to tell him that dogs also have a manner which savors very much of Freemasonry, when they greet one another on meeting.
888
“I believe that that which pleases us in foreign women is their accent. As soon as a woman speaks our language badly we think she is charming, if she uses the wrong word she is exquisite and if she jabbers in an entirely unintelligible jargon, she becomes irresistible.
888
From the moment we can know almost nothing, and from the moment that everything is limitless, what remains? Does emptiness actually not exist? What does exist in this apparent emptiness? And this confused terror of the supernatural, which has haunted mankind since the birth of the world, is legitimate, since the supernatural is nothing other than what remains veiled to us!
888
So he [the Cure] imposed as a penance on every woman who had gone wrong that she should plant a walnut tree on the common. And every night lanterns were seen moving about like will-o’-the-wisps on the hillock, for the erring ones scarcely like to perform their penance in broad daylight. In two years there was no longer any room on the lands belonging to the village, and to-day they calculate that there are more than three thousand trees around the belfry which rings out the services amid their foliage. These are the Sins of the Cure. Since we have been seeking for so many ways of rewooding France, the Administration of Forests might surely enter into some arrangement with the clergy to employ a method so simple as that employed by this humble cure.
888
A little town, in fact, is like a large one. The incidents and amusements are less varied, but one makes more of them; one has fewer acquaintances, but one meets them more frequently. When you know all the windows in a street, each one of them interests you and puzzles you more than a whole street in Paris.
888
She was, as I have already said, an excitable little being, all on the surface, with rather a showy elegance. How can I explain myself? She was an ornament, not a home.
888
Think that never, do you understand, never, does a woman burn, tear or destroy the letters in which it is told her that she is loved.
888
4 stars
June 6, 2016
La raffinatezza di Maupassant non ha eguali: ci pennella dei racconti di gente normale, che vive le gioie e i dolori di tutti i giorni, nonostante siamo nella fine dell'800 a Parigi e dintorni. Ci sono le vite dei ricchi e dei poveri, in entrambi i casi gli stessi problemi: gelosie, invidie, fughe, scappatelle, amori e odi. E la dotta delicatezza del narratore francese che è sempre un piacere da leggere e assaporare.
December 19, 2020
It is incredible how he writes, such realistic portraits of the people and their lives in France during the late 1800's / early 1900's. Just as some examples! / some of my favourite passages.
Armed with an eye that recorded images, attitudes, and gestures with the rapidity and precision of a camera, and endowed with penetration and a novelistic sense...he accumulated professional information from morning to night.
He gave his books which seemed to be pieces of human existence torn from reality: the colour, the tone, the aspect, and the movement of life itself.
- I will say that some of his stories depicted a bit too graphic detail for um...shall we say certain clandestine acts that I admit, I kind of skimmed over lol. Some very sad stories, ironies, twists of fate.
You feel, reading him, that you are in that very scene, that very environment and I do believe a gifted novelist can bring this to a reader.
We communicate with things only through our wretched, imperfect senses, so weak that they scarcely have enough strength to tell us what surrounds us. All is mystery.
The vanished sun had left the sky all rosy with its passing, and as if rubbed with dust of gold; and the Meditteranean, without one wrinkle, without one quiver, smooth and shining under the dying light, seeme an immeasurable sheet of polished metal.
The sweet melancholy of the twilight lent a languour to their words, filled their hearts with a vague emotion...
I felt as it everything was about to end, life and the universe itself. In such moments, one has a sudden revelation of the hollowness of life, the isolation of everybody, the nothingness of everything - the black solitude of the heart that rocks itself to sleep and ever deceives itself with dreams that are only broken by death.
What is the human being? Everything and nothing. By thought he is the reflection of all things. By memory and science he is an epitome of that world whereof he hears the history within him. A miror of objects, a mirror of facts, each human being becomes a miniature universe in the midst of the universe.
How singular is life and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!
Toward the end of an autumn day, when the sky all ensanguined by sunset, would be flinging upon the water shapes of scarlet cloud, would be purpling the whole river, setting fire to the heavens.
I know nothing more enjoyable than that happy go lucky wandering life in which you are perfectly free, without shackles of any kind, without care, without preoccupation, without thought even of tomorrow. You go in any direction you please without anyguide save your fancy.
I Love how he uses 'empurpled' =D in various stories it would seem:
She gazed passionately at the vast sea glittering in the sunlight and the boundlesssky empurpled with fire.
Her illuminated visage...seemed to glow with an ineffable, inward and profound happiness.
I no longer have a taste for anything, a wish for anything, a love for anybody, a desire for anything whatsoever, no ambition, no hope.
I like graveyards because they are such immense, densely populated cities. Just think of all the bodies buried in that small space. The countless generations of Parisians laid there forever, eternally entombed in the little vaults of their little graves marked by a cross or a stone, while the living take up so much room, make such a fuss.
Dear friends, read Guy de Maupassant, his writing is really just gorgeous. You feel like you've just jumped into an Impressionist painting.
Armed with an eye that recorded images, attitudes, and gestures with the rapidity and precision of a camera, and endowed with penetration and a novelistic sense...he accumulated professional information from morning to night.
He gave his books which seemed to be pieces of human existence torn from reality: the colour, the tone, the aspect, and the movement of life itself.
- I will say that some of his stories depicted a bit too graphic detail for um...shall we say certain clandestine acts that I admit, I kind of skimmed over lol. Some very sad stories, ironies, twists of fate.
You feel, reading him, that you are in that very scene, that very environment and I do believe a gifted novelist can bring this to a reader.
We communicate with things only through our wretched, imperfect senses, so weak that they scarcely have enough strength to tell us what surrounds us. All is mystery.
The vanished sun had left the sky all rosy with its passing, and as if rubbed with dust of gold; and the Meditteranean, without one wrinkle, without one quiver, smooth and shining under the dying light, seeme an immeasurable sheet of polished metal.
The sweet melancholy of the twilight lent a languour to their words, filled their hearts with a vague emotion...
I felt as it everything was about to end, life and the universe itself. In such moments, one has a sudden revelation of the hollowness of life, the isolation of everybody, the nothingness of everything - the black solitude of the heart that rocks itself to sleep and ever deceives itself with dreams that are only broken by death.
What is the human being? Everything and nothing. By thought he is the reflection of all things. By memory and science he is an epitome of that world whereof he hears the history within him. A miror of objects, a mirror of facts, each human being becomes a miniature universe in the midst of the universe.
How singular is life and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!
Toward the end of an autumn day, when the sky all ensanguined by sunset, would be flinging upon the water shapes of scarlet cloud, would be purpling the whole river, setting fire to the heavens.
I know nothing more enjoyable than that happy go lucky wandering life in which you are perfectly free, without shackles of any kind, without care, without preoccupation, without thought even of tomorrow. You go in any direction you please without anyguide save your fancy.
I Love how he uses 'empurpled' =D in various stories it would seem:
She gazed passionately at the vast sea glittering in the sunlight and the boundlesssky empurpled with fire.
Her illuminated visage...seemed to glow with an ineffable, inward and profound happiness.
I no longer have a taste for anything, a wish for anything, a love for anybody, a desire for anything whatsoever, no ambition, no hope.
I like graveyards because they are such immense, densely populated cities. Just think of all the bodies buried in that small space. The countless generations of Parisians laid there forever, eternally entombed in the little vaults of their little graves marked by a cross or a stone, while the living take up so much room, make such a fuss.
Dear friends, read Guy de Maupassant, his writing is really just gorgeous. You feel like you've just jumped into an Impressionist painting.
September 16, 2023
With a collection of this size, there is much variety in the quality of the stories. The stories are vignettes or “slice of life” character driven stories about pride, love, jealousy, anger, regrets, and a host of other human passions, frailties, and foibles. Maupassant’s descriptive writing is generally top notch and supports his reputation as a master of the short story. As good as he and the translators are, it’s best to take this voluminous collection a few stories at a sitting because the stories depict a bleak side of human behavior and can be dispiriting.
My 2 star rating is due to the despairing feel of the collection. If not for that, a 3 star rating would be appropriate. To be fair, there are some stories with a cheerful tinge and others that are more hopeful. While these are few, they are bright spots in this voluminous collection.
Readers should not expect many stories with a timeless or universal theme, unless you are a reader who tends to agree with Maupassant’s depiction of human behavior. The collection places the reader in 19th Century France and some of the stories can be disconcerting to 21st Century views, particularly the ruminations regarding women. In most the stories involving relationships between the sexes, the men and women truly are Mars and Venus.
Some of the more appealing stories for this reader were:
“The Meeting,” an account of the consequences of a husband’s low opinion of his wife. . . . “The Blind Man,” a sad, devastating tale of the cruelties people can inflict on others. . . . “Indiscretion,” a perfectly written, timeless love story. . . . “Moiron” and “A Parricide,” two crime stories with twists. . . . “The Dispenser of Holy Water,” a story about a search for a lost child. Think of “The Searchers,” (the book or movie) and replace the Comanches with the circus.
“The Relic” is a fetching story about love and the price of deceit. . . . “The Diamond Necklace” and “The False Gems” are O’Henry type of stories. . . . “The Trip of Le Horla,” written in 1887, is a simple, beautiful description of a hot air balloon ride. . . . “Farewell!” is a pleasant rumination on aging. . . . “In the Spring” is a musing on the differences between falling in love with love versus falling in love with the person. . . . “A Vagabond” is a devastating critique of French society. . . . “The Fishing Hole” is a courtroom tale. . . . “The Spasm” is a story fit for an Edgar Allen Poe collection. . . . “In the Wood” is a reflection on love and aging from a woman’s perspective. . . . “The Adopted Son” is a provoking twist on family ties. . . . “Sundays of a Bourgeois,” one of the longer stories, depicts scenes and characters of Paris, often satirical. . . . “Old Judas” is a story depicting the behavior behind the making of a legend and how its truth is perceived. . . . “A Portrait,” a simple story, yet deep, about what makes an unassuming man attractive. . . . The story “A Cremation” is respectful rendering of a cremation while depicting a cultural divide.
Maupassant presents a lighter side to human behavior with “Alexandre,” a story of loyalty and love, and “My Uncle Sosthenes,” a story pitting Freemasonry against Catholicism.
Not appealing at all, the story “Coco” is probably as an accurate telling of meanness as it can get.
My 2 star rating is due to the despairing feel of the collection. If not for that, a 3 star rating would be appropriate. To be fair, there are some stories with a cheerful tinge and others that are more hopeful. While these are few, they are bright spots in this voluminous collection.
Readers should not expect many stories with a timeless or universal theme, unless you are a reader who tends to agree with Maupassant’s depiction of human behavior. The collection places the reader in 19th Century France and some of the stories can be disconcerting to 21st Century views, particularly the ruminations regarding women. In most the stories involving relationships between the sexes, the men and women truly are Mars and Venus.
Some of the more appealing stories for this reader were:
“The Meeting,” an account of the consequences of a husband’s low opinion of his wife. . . . “The Blind Man,” a sad, devastating tale of the cruelties people can inflict on others. . . . “Indiscretion,” a perfectly written, timeless love story. . . . “Moiron” and “A Parricide,” two crime stories with twists. . . . “The Dispenser of Holy Water,” a story about a search for a lost child. Think of “The Searchers,” (the book or movie) and replace the Comanches with the circus.
“The Relic” is a fetching story about love and the price of deceit. . . . “The Diamond Necklace” and “The False Gems” are O’Henry type of stories. . . . “The Trip of Le Horla,” written in 1887, is a simple, beautiful description of a hot air balloon ride. . . . “Farewell!” is a pleasant rumination on aging. . . . “In the Spring” is a musing on the differences between falling in love with love versus falling in love with the person. . . . “A Vagabond” is a devastating critique of French society. . . . “The Fishing Hole” is a courtroom tale. . . . “The Spasm” is a story fit for an Edgar Allen Poe collection. . . . “In the Wood” is a reflection on love and aging from a woman’s perspective. . . . “The Adopted Son” is a provoking twist on family ties. . . . “Sundays of a Bourgeois,” one of the longer stories, depicts scenes and characters of Paris, often satirical. . . . “Old Judas” is a story depicting the behavior behind the making of a legend and how its truth is perceived. . . . “A Portrait,” a simple story, yet deep, about what makes an unassuming man attractive. . . . The story “A Cremation” is respectful rendering of a cremation while depicting a cultural divide.
Maupassant presents a lighter side to human behavior with “Alexandre,” a story of loyalty and love, and “My Uncle Sosthenes,” a story pitting Freemasonry against Catholicism.
Not appealing at all, the story “Coco” is probably as an accurate telling of meanness as it can get.
April 11, 2024
Finally finished this. Not sure why it took me so long since the stories were usually quick to read. I think there was a certain cynical sameness to them that got tiring when reading too many at one time.
There’s a light-hearted tone with dark undercurrents to most of the stories. He does an excellent job at creating vivid characters even when they border on the absurd. My two favorites were Simon’s Papa about a young boy’s search for a papa and The Old Man about a man who just doesn’t die in a timely manner.
There’s a light-hearted tone with dark undercurrents to most of the stories. He does an excellent job at creating vivid characters even when they border on the absurd. My two favorites were Simon’s Papa about a young boy’s search for a papa and The Old Man about a man who just doesn’t die in a timely manner.
May 27, 2020
“Ne kadar çok mutsuz insan vardı! Amansız doğanın ebedi haksızlığı altında ezilen insanı hissedebiliyordum. Onun yaşamı sona ermişti ve belki de en sefilimizi bile bir kerecik olsun sevilme umuduyla ayakta tutan o şeyi hiç yaşamamıştı. Aksi halde kendini neden böyle saklasın, başkalarından neden böyle kaçsındı? İnsan olmayan her şeyi öyle bir tutkuyla bunun için mi seviyordu?”
November 2, 2022
This is a lovely collection of beautifully written short stories. The descriptions of the French countryside and it’s inhabitants is wonderful. But best of all, each story is a comment on human nature and our relationships with each other.
When I began the book, I lamented that it was 500 pages, and now that I’m finished, I wish it was much longer.
JF
When I began the book, I lamented that it was 500 pages, and now that I’m finished, I wish it was much longer.
JF
July 4, 2020
Maybe tastes have changed, but I was hoping for more Poe or O. Henry style and so I was a bit underwhelmed. There were some really good stories, and I’m glad I read (most) of this, yet some just seemed to fizzle out.
July 26, 2023
This collection of French short stories gives the reader a flavor of life in the villages of France around the 1880’s. Most of the stories are translated into English by Lafcadio Hearn, Artine Arminian while a few are anonymous.
October 19, 2020
Meh ! Some gems in here and some excellent writing but nothing that special imo! Bit let down OUCH
August 27, 2021
A true master.
May 24, 2023
This book was SUCH an unexpected delight absolutely loved it 4.5/5.
November 16, 2021
Reading this collection of short stories revealed how Anglo-centric my literary education has been. It also disabused me of the notion of a universality of human experience. So many of the stories seemed totally alien, and I couldn't decide if it was because he was describing a different culture than I am familiar with or if it was his viewpoint I couldn't relate to. His prose is usually beautiful, but jaundiced and chauvinist.
January 18, 2023
Only five de Maupassant stories are in this edition. Two stand out: "The Necklace" for its devastatingly sad irony and "A Coward" one of honor. Both are classics, but read them all.
De Maupassant is remembered for his shorts, and his short life was filled with misery. It's worth exploring his writing, which influenced authors to follow as with O. Henry. His prose is erratic but shows flashes of brilliance in plot and wordplay, even in translation.
It may be that the writing of his sequence of stories and novels (he was prolific) could chart his decline in health. Not validated by me, but I've given it thought.
The other stories in the Kindle edition did not stir me as much as the two noted. The Kindle version is ragged and poorly produced, with letters missing and text run-ons. It matters when reading.
Short story writers should read de Maupassant for his contributions.
De Maupassant is remembered for his shorts, and his short life was filled with misery. It's worth exploring his writing, which influenced authors to follow as with O. Henry. His prose is erratic but shows flashes of brilliance in plot and wordplay, even in translation.
It may be that the writing of his sequence of stories and novels (he was prolific) could chart his decline in health. Not validated by me, but I've given it thought.
The other stories in the Kindle edition did not stir me as much as the two noted. The Kindle version is ragged and poorly produced, with letters missing and text run-ons. It matters when reading.
Short story writers should read de Maupassant for his contributions.
March 19, 2020
Fun to read.
April 21, 2019
Amazing, that Maupassant could create these great stories in a 10 year period.
Notes:
xv... Artinian on Maupassant vs Chekhov.
1... Ball of Fat - Prostitute among the rich
78... Story of a Farm Girl - Child from wedlock, farmer married her unbeknownst, learns of the child, adopts it.
104... Yvette - cat & mouse of marriage proposal
148... Piece of String - men's whole bodies bent forward at each movement of their long, twisted legs; deformed by their hard work
the slow and painful labors of the country
153... Funeral Pile - Cremation ...Everything is over at once ... instead of unspeakable putrefaction.
The coffin which descends into a muddy hole makes the heart ache, but the funeral pile flaming up to heaven has an element of greatness, beauty, and solemnity.
172... The Necklace *** Kurp, 9/28/15:
Annotations are redundant. Maupassant concludes the story’s penultimate section like this:
“What would have happened if she hadn’t lost that necklace? Who knows? Who can know? How strange and unpredictable life is!”
“How little it takes to make or break us!”
That line – “How strange and unpredictable life is!” – might serve as a thumbnail précis of every good story ever written, from Homer to Naipaul. When reading Maupassant, we look to our own experience of life for a gloss, not a critic or reference book. We lose a lot by getting too sophisticated for our britches.
191... A Vagabond - carpenter looks for work, starving, gets 20 years (inspired by Hugo's Jean Valjean?)
230... Mademoiselle Fifi - whore kills Austrian soldier bully, church bell ringing in celebration
237... A Sale - sell wife by volume of water ... set a thief to catch a thief
I was moved to read these stories by Patrick Kurp's frequent mentions in his blog. One such post:
https://evidenceanecdotal.blogspot.co...
Notes:
xv... Artinian on Maupassant vs Chekhov.
1... Ball of Fat - Prostitute among the rich
78... Story of a Farm Girl - Child from wedlock, farmer married her unbeknownst, learns of the child, adopts it.
104... Yvette - cat & mouse of marriage proposal
148... Piece of String - men's whole bodies bent forward at each movement of their long, twisted legs; deformed by their hard work
the slow and painful labors of the country
153... Funeral Pile - Cremation ...Everything is over at once ... instead of unspeakable putrefaction.
The coffin which descends into a muddy hole makes the heart ache, but the funeral pile flaming up to heaven has an element of greatness, beauty, and solemnity.
172... The Necklace *** Kurp, 9/28/15:
Annotations are redundant. Maupassant concludes the story’s penultimate section like this:
“What would have happened if she hadn’t lost that necklace? Who knows? Who can know? How strange and unpredictable life is!”
“How little it takes to make or break us!”
That line – “How strange and unpredictable life is!” – might serve as a thumbnail précis of every good story ever written, from Homer to Naipaul. When reading Maupassant, we look to our own experience of life for a gloss, not a critic or reference book. We lose a lot by getting too sophisticated for our britches.
191... A Vagabond - carpenter looks for work, starving, gets 20 years (inspired by Hugo's Jean Valjean?)
230... Mademoiselle Fifi - whore kills Austrian soldier bully, church bell ringing in celebration
237... A Sale - sell wife by volume of water ... set a thief to catch a thief
I was moved to read these stories by Patrick Kurp's frequent mentions in his blog. One such post:
https://evidenceanecdotal.blogspot.co...
May 8, 2014
All the readings were excellent, and in most cases the stories were 3 to 5 star worthy.
But the collection as a whole gets a low rating because of the dreadful 'The Woman Beater' by Israel Zangwill. I've no idea what he was trying to say about domestic violence, but the message I took from it was: "Some women are just so irritating you won't be able to stop yourself from hitting them." This particular story is 1 star - so offensive I can't recommend it to anybody except as a "Don't do this" guide.
Without this story I'd give the collection 3 stars.
However special mention goes to 'The Million Pound Banknote' by Mark Twain, which is hilarious. It's clever, and there is a dry wit and an excellent idea of how the world works when it comes to money. That story definitely gets five stars. It's worth downloading this collection just to listen to that story.
But the collection as a whole gets a low rating because of the dreadful 'The Woman Beater' by Israel Zangwill. I've no idea what he was trying to say about domestic violence, but the message I took from it was: "Some women are just so irritating you won't be able to stop yourself from hitting them." This particular story is 1 star - so offensive I can't recommend it to anybody except as a "Don't do this" guide.
Without this story I'd give the collection 3 stars.
However special mention goes to 'The Million Pound Banknote' by Mark Twain, which is hilarious. It's clever, and there is a dry wit and an excellent idea of how the world works when it comes to money. That story definitely gets five stars. It's worth downloading this collection just to listen to that story.
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