Showing results by author "Guy de Maupassant" in All Categories

Guy De Maupassant is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents. The story "Boule de Suif", written in 1880, is his masterpiece. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouements. Many of the stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s and several describe the futility of war and the innocent civilians who, caught in the conflict, emerge changed. He authored some 300 short stories.

Guy de Maupassant, (1850 - 1893), a native of Normandy, wrote in a bold and vigorous style that moves inexorably along clear plot lines. He had an astonishing capacity for creating believable characters, and he wasted little ink in putting his stories in motion. Maupassant was a master of "le mot juste," waiting until the perfect word came to him before setting his thoughts to paper. He was one of the first truly modern writers, and today his stories still resonate with enthusiasm and originality.

Guy de Maupassant is widely regarded as the father of the modern short story. As his 13 volumes of short stories attest, he was a prolific writer of this form. He had a simple, efficient style of writing and, like Anton Chekhov, found inspiration for his stories in the daily lives of humans, which often reveal our darker nature. His years of service in the Franco-Prussian War provided him with rich material for his work.

Une parisienne modeste, Mathilde Loisel, rêve d'élégance, de raffinement, de toilettes et de soirées distinguées. Mais elle a épousé un commis du ministère de l'Instruction publique, et doit se contenter d'une vie banale de femme du peuple. Or, un jour, son mari réussit à obtenir une invitation pour une fête au Ministère. Désireuse de masquer sa condition, elle demande à son amie fortunée, Jeanne Forestier, de lui prêter une parure de diamants pour cette soirée inoubliable.

Le narrateur habite une belle demeure en bord de Seine. Sa vie s'écoule, sereine, semblable aux bateaux qui défilent devant ses fenêtres. Mais il semble gagné peu à peu par une maladie étrange... Est-ce seulement la solitude qui pèse sur son âme ? Est-il en train de sombrer dans la folie ? Y a-t-il réellement un être invisible qui rôde autour de lui ?

Inside a hidden panel in an antique desk, a man discovers a long braid of hair. And the contemplation of this head of hair drives him mad. Do spirits really come back to inhabit the forms they left in this world?

Jeanne, ayant fini ses malles, s'approcha de la fenêtre, mais la pluie ne cessait pas. L'averse, toute la nuit, avait sonné contre les carreaux et les toits. Le ciel bas et chargé d'eau semblait crevé, se vidant sur la terre, la délayant en bouillie, la fondant comme du sucre. Des rafales passaient pleines d'une chaleur lourde. Le ronflement des ruisseaux débordés emplissait les rues désertes où les maisons, comme des éponges, buvaient l'humidité qui pénétrait au-dedans et faisait suer les murs de la cave au grenier.

《羊脂球：莫泊桑短篇小说选》收录莫泊桑多篇短篇小说。莫泊桑故事中的主人公，大多是小人物，这些人物构成了法国社会的主体，他们身边发生的故事，便构成世俗社会的万象。…… 《羊脂球：莫泊桑短篇小說選》收錄莫泊桑多篇短篇小說。莫泊桑故事中的主人公，大多是小人物，這些人物構成了法國社會的主體，他們身邊發生的故事，便構成世俗社會的萬象。

Paru en 1887 avec d'autres récits, "Le Horla" est incontestablement le plus original et le plus effrayant de tous les contes fantastiques de Maupassant. Pour l'écrire, l'auteur s'est documenté auprès du docteur Charcot, célèbre spécialiste des névroses et des hystéries. Mais surtout, il s'est probablement inspiré des troubles nerveux qui commençaient alors à le détruire et qui allaient bientôt l'empoter.

Un amoureux de la nuit déambule à Paris au hasard des rues. Mais, peu à peu, il prend conscience qu'un événement inhabituel va se produire. "Pour la première fois je sentis qu'il allait arriver quelque chose d'étrange, de nouveau. Il me sembla qu'il faisait froid, que l'air s'épaississait, que la nuit, que ma nuit bien-aimée, devenait lourde sur mon coeur. L'avenue était déserte, maintenant. Seuls, deux sergents de ville se promenaient auprès de la station des fiacres."

"Apparition" est une nouvelle fantastique de Guy de Maupassant. Lors d'une soirée, le marquis de la Tour-Samuel raconte une étrange anecdote. Cela lui est arrivé il y a cinquante-six ans, mais il ne se passe pas une nuit sans qu'il revoit en rêve cette aventure. Cela commença par une rencontre avec un ami qu'il avait perdu de vue depuis cinq ans.

The devil, who lived on the hill across the bay, owned all the rich lands which produced fine crops. One day, St. Michael offered the devil a deal: He would work the land, and they would both share the crops equally. The devil agreed, and Satan declared that he would get everything that grew above the ground, while St. Michael would get the crops that grew underground. So the lands produced nothing but carrots, turnips, onions, and parsnips. Satan was furious, but St. Michael offered to give him everything that grew underground the next year. The following year, all of Satan’s lands were covered with wheat, oats, peas, and cabbage that thrives above ground.

A rich anthology of forty-five great stories by some of the most renowned storytellers in the world. Saki, O. Henry, Edgar Allan Poe, Barry Pain, Guy de Maupassant, M. R. James, A. J. Allan, Guy Boothby, Jerome K. Jerome and many more giants of the piterary world contribute to this collection of tiny tales which pack a huge punch.

No one plumbs deeper depths of the psyche than French and Russian authors. This second wide-ranging collection of 19th-century literary masterworks, presented in their entirety, not only entertains, but provides insight into 19th-century mores and the mysteries of human nature.

If you were asked by someone with greater means than yourself if you would be willing to let them adopt your son, what would you say? This is the dilemma proposed in this story. This story was written in a place and time where the role of children within a family may be different than in the 21st century. Would you hold your child tight, or give them a chance at something you could never give? Narrated by Glenn Hascall

Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is of the best "macabre" tales ever written. It is presented here in its entirety along with eight other incredible tales.

Guy de Maupassant was, and is to this day, one of the world's most celebrated short story writers. He famously tackled topics like the Franco-Prussian War and the disillusionment of life and relationships. This collection of his works, containing famous stories like "Boule de Suif" and "The Diamond Necklace" show off his lyrical and engaging style. The book is written in accessible language without being simple and is sure to delight a modern audience.

A glittering collection of classic short stories. 1. "The Hoop" by Fedor Sologub; 2. "Miracles" by Barry Pain; 3. "In a Far-off World" by Olive Schreiner; 4. "The House of Cobwebs" by George Gissing; 5. "A Dream of Wild Bees" by Olive Schreiner; 6. "A Very Black Business" by Ernest Bramah; 7. "The Missing Years" by Barry Pain; 8. "The Pig and Whistle" by George Gissing; 9. "A Soothing Dream" by Fedor Sologub; 10. "Life’s Gifts" by Olive Schreiner...and many more.

In this series we explore the many facets of love through literary talents that span both time and country. ‘With this ring, I thee Wed’. And with these words lives enter a new chapter. Hopefully till the end of their lives but time together, with its up and downs, hurdles and obstacles, also cuts short a great many, sometimes in unusual ways.

Murder comes in two familiar forms. Whether as a crime of passion with high emotions or a cold dispassionate plot to take life in order to gain in some way, the act strikes us all as somehow inhuman. Beneath us as civilised beings. But however we cloak our animal instincts the need to remove a human being and gain relief from abuse or gain from money, the term is just the same – MURDER. Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, J M Barrie, W W Jacobs and many others bring their literary heft to bear in as calculating a way as any killer could.