Product Description
Nine memorable classics, characterized by ironic twists of plot, include "Ball of Fat," regarded by many as technically one of the finest short stories ever written, "The Necklace," "A Piece of String," "Mme. Tellier’s Establishment," "Mademoiselle Fifi," "Miss Harriet," "A Way to Wealth," "My Uncle Jules" and "The Horla."
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great classic, greater price...
I remember reading this for a high school class. Loved the story: "The Necklace" and wanted my daughter to read it as well. Good stories with irony and moral dilemmas. If you are looking for a classic, this one has great short stories. Awesome price.

Criminal Mistranslation of "Boule de suif" and Bowdlerization of "La Maison Tellier"
Boule de Suif is the story that made Maupassant famous, a story admired by his mentor Flaubert shortly before he died.

The translation in this volume has been in circulation since 1903. It is done by someone who does not know the French language at all and is full of astonishing howlers.

It is depressing to think that the English-speaking world has read this great story in such a dreadful translation for a century.

Some examples of the translator's incompetence:

"choqua" translated as "choked" (should be "shocked")
"grouillaient" translated as "grumbled" (should be "swarmed")
"interloque" translated as "interlocutor" (should be "struck dumb")
"glissaient" translated as "glistened" (should be "slipped)
"inattendue" translated as "unwitting" (should be "unexpected")
"entre deux couplets" translated as "between the two rows of people" (should be "between verses")
"grallait une pipe sur le siege" translated as "had a lighted pipe under the seat" (should be "smoked a pipe on the seat")
"Il sont verts" translated as "he is very green" (should be "sour grapes")
"par convenance" translated as "for convenience" (should be "out of propriety)
"defiant" translated as "defiant" (should be "mistrustful")
"propre" translated as "proper" (should be "clean")
"malpropre" translated as "improper" (should be "dirty")
"lapin" translated as "little wolf" (should be "rabbit")
"le faisant s'interesser a des choses qui, vraiment, ne le regardaient guere" translated as "making themselves interested in things that, in truth, they would never think of noticing" (should be "making God interested in things that, in truth, were no concern of his")
"ce ton... que les hommes poses emploient avec les filles" translated as "tone... after the manner of men having girls in their employ" (should be "the tone... that men of experience use with prostitutes")

The text is entirely denatured in this appalling anonymous translation, which should never have been distributed commercially.

"La Maison Tellier," another fine tale, is again sorely mistreated.

The two key scenes are an emotive First Communion ceremony at which the ladies distinguish themselves by their piety; as a pendant to this the story ends with another scene at their brothel that can only be described as an orgy.

In the present bowdlerized translation the two pages describing the Communion scene are omitted and it becomes a Confirmation ceremony instead, and the orgy becomes an innocent dance at which the ladies become a little tipsy!

Flaubert's disciple influenced Chekhov's flair for irony.
This ...Dover collection of short stories, written by arguably the best writer ever in the genre, traces the invention of modern short fiction. After Maupassant’s parents divorced, his mother became friends with Gustave Flaubert of the “Madame Bovary” fame. Flaubert committed himself to tutoring the young aristocrat – hence the “de” in his surname – and said of his protégé, “I love him like a son.” What an apprenticeship?

An artist owes much to his or her environment hence the background just volunteered reveals decisive influences that informed Guy’s craft. In turn, Maupassant’s work would influence those of Chekhov, Joyce, James, Babel and Hemingway! Chekhov’s oeuvre then influenced Katherine Mansfield and so on - an impressive literary family tree indeed!

Maupassant, who studied law, was a master of irony and the title story exemplifies that. “The Necklace” and “A Piece of String” (otherwise translated from French as “The String”) are much anthologized. Of the more than 360 short stories he wrote, the nine stories in this collection are well plotted and, like most of his followers, the author avoids imposing any moral judgments on his characters – not even on the prostitute in his sensational first story, “Ball-of-Fat” (“Boule de Suif”). ...- enjoy the dreams!

This book is a dreat value
I love the Dover Thrift Edition series. I originally bought Kafka's "The Metamorphasis and other Stories" and was delighted by the selction of a few fine representative works by that author. Again, for a shockingly low price, I decided to revisit a story I read many years ago and bought this volume. "The Necklace" is a great tale of irony in which the old adage "no good deed goes unpunished" is illustrated. It is a tale of honorably living up to one's resposibilities and it ends with quite a twist. This was a great read when I was very young and it still is well into my middle age. I recommend the "Thrift Editions," including this one, to quicky and inexpensively build a library of representative works of great writers.

Paste makes waste
I read this when I was 12.I liked it.I think they should have been honest about what happened, rather than trying to cover it up.That would have saved them from a lot of grief.(I wouldn't advertise to the world that I didn't "get it" if I were 35.) ... Read more

Product Description
In a new translation by Arnold Keller all the tales of terror by Guy de Maupassant, France's greatest short story writer, are collected here in one volume. These 31 stories of the supernatural explore the furthest reaches of the macabre and at the same time parallel de Maupassant's own descent into madness and death. Includes a Foreword by modern master horror writer Ramsey Campbell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

sinister slices of life
Maupassant wrote over 300 short stories in a life cut short by his madness and death at age 42. This book presents 31 of his stories, chosen specifically for their macabre content. A brief foreword by horror writer Ramsey Campbell places Maupassant in the horror tradition, and is followed by the translator's introduction, giving some biographical and bibliographical background. Then come the stories. Being ignorant of French, I can't comment on the translation, except to say that the stories read smoothly, with no awkwardness. The stories themselves vary in form, most being intelligent and entertaining, but rather thin little slices of life. They have the excellent quality of often featuring surprises that are natural and not contrived. Yet they can also seem more like snapshots than stories. Then again, there are some real gems. "The Horla" is among the longest stories in the book, and deserves its status as a classic. It can be read as a science fictionish horror story, or as a metaphoric projection of the onset of insanity. Other stories are contes cruels of a decidedly vicious bent. And still others are marvelous evocations of atmosphere--especially "On the River," "Who Knows?", "The Head of Hair," "He," and "The Hand." Overall, a very worthwhile reading experience for fans of supernatural tales.

French naturalism
Guy de Maupassant's stories are based on fear of the unknown. There are no monsters here--only monsters of the mind. Dog's get let out by fearful owners, then are shot in the face when they look back into the window because the owner thought it was a monster. The focus is on the mystery of fear and how man scares himself. Maupassant was a student of Gustav Flaubert, a French naturalist, and writes about man's reaction to his environment in a detached, scientific way.

I found Maupassant's technique of introducing his stories somewhat clumsy.Beginning in first person from hearsay, "I once knew a man..." and the conclusions awkward, "After he had finished his tale, he nodded and walked away. I have no more to say about it."

Nevertheless, because of their uniqueness, a good used copy for five or eight dollars would be a good investment.

supremely disturbing and genuinely frightening stuff
these stories go beyond your average collection of horror tales, and it isn't hard to tell that maupassant was going over the edge when he penned these. they are less focused on the supernatural than on the chilling capability the human mind has to construct terrifying illusions and reduce the most rational and cerebral man to a shivering mass. you could almost call these philosophical in that maupassant remorselessly exposes the tenuous and fragile nature of our mental health and reminds us that insanity is a potential danger for the more thoughtful and sensitive. this is personally my favorite work as far as maupassant's stuff goes, and anyone with a taste for the morbid, pessimistic or terrifying is well advised to pick this one up right away, although it is pretty rare nowadays and difficult to locate. i took it out of my local library. those who are interested in the field of philosophy should enjoy the brief but somewhat humorous tale, "the smile of schopenhauer", which amuses but at the same time inspires fear. if you're interested in abnormal psychology this is also a must read for you. the creme de la creme of horror literature.

The most horrifying work of the greatest short story writer
DeMaupassant's unparalled insight into the human condition is strongly in evidence in these tales.Some of the most powerful evocations of fear and pathos even penned, this is in a completely different league from StephenKing and his ilk:it is literature in the best sense.

This one will scare your brain!
De Maupassant wrote horror like no one else.His stories are not for therun of the mill Stephen King fan - so if your head isn't screwed downtight, don't attempt this one.However, if you like to hear the brilliantramblings of a genius-type that's dying of Syphillis, you'll love it! ... Read more

Product Description
Original Short Stories - Volume 02 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Guy de Maupassant is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Guy de Maupassant then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
According to Wikipedia: "Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant (5 August 1850 - 6 July 1893) was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. As a protege of Flaubert, his short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless denouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who, caught, emerge changed - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s." There are links from the table of contents to each story. ... Read more

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This is a selection of 27 stories in a new translation which includes "The Necklace" and "Le Horla". ... Read more

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A magnificent novel of Maupassant, which touches the very sensitive issue of society. The main character Georges Duroy exploits the women politically as well as erotically. It also captures the emotions and passions of a woman. It is a cynical force of ambition as a result of contrary proportion of love and emotions. Highly compelling!

To find more titles in your format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.

Product Description
 
Bel Ami, written at the height of Guy de Maupassant’s powers, is a classic novel of seduction, intrigue, and ruthless social climbing in belle époque Paris.

Georges Duroy is a down-and-out journalist from a humble background who engineers a stunning rise to the top of Parisian society through his relationships with influential and wealthy women. Making the most of his charm and good looks (his admirers nickname him “Bel Ami”), Duroy exploits the weaknesses of others to his own advantage—in the process betraying the woman who has most selflessly supported him. Published in 1885, Bel Ami is not only a vivid portrait of a glamorously corrupt and long-vanished Paris, but also a strikingly modern exposé of the destructiveness of unconstrained ambition, sex, and power.
 
Translated from the French by Ernest Boyd ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

GREAT BOOK/STORY...GLAD I BOUGHT IT..
Ok I am guilty because I purchased the book because I read Robert Pattinson plays Georges Duroy in the film Bel Ami and am anxiously waiting for it. I really did enjoy reading the book and could not put it down and plan on reading the book again.

Georges the cad
Duroy is the best cad ever! I imagine him sexy, sultry, careless; yet he is despicable, oportunistic and selfish. Ahh, a love them and leave them beast.
The way G de M describes him makes you want to take a peek and run for the hills.
I think Pattinson will make a swooning Duroy, cannot wait!

A Scoundrel's Rise
This Oxford World Classic version of Maupassant's masterpiece, "Bel Ami", is a complete package of historic and social context, story and glossary.The story itself has been well-reviewed by Amazon readers, so I will only briefly observe here a few salient features of the book that stood out for me.

A handsome but amoral young man (Georges Duroy) who has been endowed with an extraordinary load of pheromones, comes to Paris after military service to make his fortune.While not well educated or especially gifted with intellect, he is able to game the corrupt society of the time (circa 1884) using his looks and unfailing attraction for women of all ages and stations.His career rise comes through his ruthless manipulation of successive women, who are mostly very willingly used by Duroy, to attain professional and social standing and money.As this is a very pessimistic assessment of the French Third Republic by author Maupassant, the scoundrel not only wins in the end, but his nakedly open methods to gaining success are admired by the society that he is conquering.

This well-translated classic story is accompanied in the Oxford publication by a wonderfully complete introduction by Robert Lethridge, who provides an insightful commentary on the writer as well as explaining the social and political context for "Bel Ami."Lethridge has also compiled the helpful end notes/glossary that explain specific references in the novel.

Overall, this is a brilliant piece of writing by Maupassant, well-presented by Oxford Books.It is more than a little uncomfortable to read at times as the main character is such an unredeemable rotten egg, but the story has such power, that it's very hard to put down.

Robert Pattinsons Next Movie

This book is really,really good.I am so happy that I purchased it.It holds your attention through to the end.I originally purchased this book because, being a Robert Pattinson fan, I knew he was making this movie and knew it would be out in the next year or so.Usually books are so much more detailed than the movies that are made from them so I wanted to read it before I saw the movie.This will be a great movie for Robert Pattinson, so many of us women are madly in love with him and Georges is a character who really attracts the women.I just hope Robert will never use women in real life the way Georges does in the book.It is a very exciting story.I recommendthat anyone who likes the Victorian Era, and stories about people who want to get to the top. read this book."It's great!!!"

review of Bel Ami (Penguin classic)
I wanted to read this book so that I understood the story before the movie was released.The book gives a very clear understanding of the main character, Georges Duroy.With all other characters, we can only see their connection with Georges, but there is no other real understanding of their viewpoint.The book is only about Georges Duroy, and the people who come in and out of his life.Good story, really enjoyed it. ... Read more

Product Description
Features

• Navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases
• Make bookmarks, notes, highlights
• Searchable and interlinked.
• Access the e-book anytime, anywhere - at home, on the train, in the subway.

Customer Reviews (4)

Guy de Maupassant is the master of short stories.
Guy de Maupassant is the master of short stories. I counted 179 short stories in this collection. My favorite short story is "The Diamond Necklace".

I've purchased over 30 of these complete author collections from this publisher. I have purchased William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Alan Poe, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Jule Verne, Oscar Wilde, Alexander Dumas, and a few others. These collections work superbly on the Kindle. Take Mark Twain collection. The collection includes huge number of Mark Twain's works all in one place, searchable and well-organized. If I would have purchased all these books separately, searching for `The Gilded Age' among hundreds of other books on my Kindle would be a nightmare. With Mobile Reference collections, I simply click `Works of Mark Twain', then click Novels> `The Gilded Age'. I can also click `List of works in alphabetical order' > `G' > `Gilded Age'. If I forget the book title but remember that `The Gilded Age' was written by Mark Twain early in his career, I can click on `List of works in chronological order' > (1873) `The Gilded Age'.

If I want another author, say, Charles Dickens, I click `Home' > `Works of Charles Dickens'. If I want Dostoevsky, I click `Works of Fyodor Dostoevsky'. I think this format is perfect for organizing books on the Kindle.

Inside collections, each book has links to chapters and footnotes. The text is nicely formatted and seems to be complete and accurate - something that cannot always be said about inexpensive ebooks. I think these collections are great bargains both in terms of saved money, time, and book organization!

Kindle-Specific Review - AGB
A very comprehensive collection - but the sample version I'm looking at on my Kindle has a major fault.There are no (or very, very few) internal hyperlinks, so it's impossible to skip to the start of any given novel or story.In the A-Z index (found under Table of Contents), 90% of the stories have no link to them, even though the Navigation guide included in the file suggests that *all* of these will have links.

So it seems to me that this is not an easily usable set at all.I'd be most happy to be proved wrong.

And a further quibble - the metadata for the Author is set wrong, and Kindle indexes this collection under "G" for Guy rather than "M" for Maupassant.

Works of Guy de Maupassant - ebook
Complete Works of Guy de Maupassant. Huge collection. (200+ Works) FREE Author's biography and stories in the trial version.

Great stuff! Just as advertised! Quick and smooth transaction. I'll be back. Thank you!

Guy de Maupassant - Kindle eBook
Complete Works of Guy de Maupassant. Huge collection. (200+ Works) FREE Author's biography and stories in the trial version.

"Bel Ami; or, The History of A Scoundrel" and other Novels, Plays, Short Stories. Excellent compilation!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Actually Complete and Well Researched!
I have to disagree with the other reviewer - this volume is the ONLY edition ever printed which correctly includes all of Maupassant's complete short stories.Whichever stories you believe are missing are either not short stories or mis-attributed to him.There are other editions of Maupassant's "complete" stories but these other editions often include dozens, if not over a hundred stories which were written by other people.Artine Artinian, the editor of the correct (this) edition is an excellent Maupassant scholar.I'm left with wondering what exactly was a waste of money - that you didn't care for the writing or that you feel the book was incomplete?And why buy it if you felt you could get them online for free?

If you enjoy short stories and have not read Maupassant, shame on you.Maupassant, along with Hemingway, is the father of the short story and defines exactly what a short story ought to be.The richness and economy of his writing speaks even through the translation.I cannot rate this highly enough; as writing quality, translation quality, research quality, and editorial perfection.

the INcomplete short stories of .....
title says it all 30 average stories out 300 hndred odd and none of the best ones which are available online for nothing . book was a waste of money ... Read more

Product Description
1903. Part One contains Volumes I-IV of X. French author of the naturalistic school, Maupassant is generally considered to be the greatest French short story writer of his day. The Complete Short Stories contains the 300 short stories Maupassant wrote during the 1880s, including his horror fiction, which consists of some 39 stories, only a tenth of his total. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. Other volumes in this set are ISBN(s): 1417936150. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This is definitely "NOT" the edition to buy for the "COMPLETE" Short Stories
For those interested in coming as close as possible to having the complete collection of short stories written by Guy de Maupassant in one volume, then please stay away from this collection.As mentioned in the very first review here, this 1903 publication is far from complete and is false advertising for another reason as well.Of the "223" short stories included, only "158" are works of the French short story master --- the remaining "65" stories were written by others and, to be totally honest, are downright mediocre.Don't know what the publisher's were thinking, but I can only attribute this to wanting to pad out this volume due to their not truly having de Maupassants complete works available.

Also do NOT be tricked by the title of another volume, also readily available on this site, "The Complete WORKS of Guy de Maupassant".That title is completly false as well ( less than "30" stories are included ).Apparently, simply because this volume was printed under this title back in 1917, publishers think they are not commiting a crime by continuing to use it here in 2008.Stay away from it.

The ONLY true source, as far as I know, of the complete, or as close to complete as possible, edition of de Maupassant's tales is (as mentioned by the first reviewer), the 1955 Hanover House edition of "The COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF GUY DE MAUPASSANT" with the introduction by Professor Artine Artinian.It contains "271" short stories, ALL by de Maupassant, in a 1339 page hardcover volume.Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print, but you should be able to track it down via the many used or rare book services on the internet for a relatively low price.I was lucky enough to find a volume in decent (though far from mint) shape, at the Strands Book Store in New York City a few years ago for only $9.00.Good luck in your search and enjoy the stories!

right guy, wrong edition
This review is in two parts: (1) praise of Maupassant's genius; (2) telling you which edition to buy (not this one).

It is annoying that Maupassant's name so often arises just in the history of the short story, as though his works might be mostly of interest as some kind of historical stepping stones along the way to greater geniuses.One even sees a hint of this in the book description above, where it has him "generally considered the greatest French short story writer of his day"---unwarrantably faint praise for arguably the greatest short story writer of all time, anywhere.In truth, Maupassant achieved a unique perfection in the art of the short story that has not been equalled since.Other masters---Chekhov, Saki, Roald Dahl, Henry James, Jack Vance, Philip K. Dick, Ambrose Bierce---are as good, but in entirely different ways.

Maupassant's standard of quality is not consistently high, and a good fraction of these stories are mediocre at best.It's not so low as Saki's, where a few gems outshine all the others combined, nor so high as Dahl's, where almost every tale is brilliant.But many, many, many of them are extremely good or better, and it's important to get the complete works since smaller anthologies invariably make lots of bad selection decisions in Maupassant's case; moreover there's no excuse not to get the complete works, for how often can one possess almost the entire genius of a great man in a single volume?

I'm partial to the humorous, the cynical, the dark, and my very favourites are: "The Old Man", "Walter Schnaffs' Adventure", "The Relic", "That Pig of a Morin", "The Devil", "A Madman", "The Sisters Rondoli", "The Noncommissioned Officer", "Old Amable", "The False Gems", "The Horla", "How He Got the Legion of Honor", "Of Doctor Heraclius Gloss".Almost as good are: "Ball of Fat", "A Bad Error", "Growing Old", "Making a Convert", "On Cats", "A Traveler's Notes", "The Umbrella", "Selfishness", "An Idyl", "A Vagabond", "A Sale", "The Revenge", "Our Friends the English".One could go on; yet another forty or so are almost as good as these.

Some might call Maupassant's writing immoral, but it's more as though he has his own rakish personal morality, unique and unconventional (especially by 19th century standards), whereby, for instance, the secret seduction of another man's wife is the greatest good.I mostly disagree with him, but this in no way detracts from the enjoyment of his tales; indeed, what is more tedious than a moralizing, holier-than-thou author?Maupassant's stories usually are short, and he has an amazing talent for telling a lot, covering much time and territory, with few words---not by writing in generalities, but by always giving just the right details.A precious, disturbing, few, written near the end of his short life as he was declining into insanity, are unlike anything you will find anywhere else.

So, which edition?This one, unfortunately, appears to be a reprint of the ubiquitous, error-filled 1903 first American edition of his "complete" works.This not only misses a few of Maupassant's stories, it somehow---shockingly---falsely includes under his name sixty-five stories not even written by him (source: the introduction to the edition I'm about to recommend).Fortunately, there is a beautiful, but more difficult to find, edition of his complete short stories, lovingly edited by a certain Artine Artinian, a Maupassant scholar.It's called "The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant", Hanover House, Garden City, New York, Copyright 1955 by Doubleday & Co. This is a high quality volume of 1339 pages of thin, tightly bound acid-free paper.Find a copy.

This Author Influenced the Modern Short Story
It is a shame that the only story most people have read of Maupassant's is the much anthologized "The Necklace."There are many other Maupassant stories that readers would likely find more original and memorable than this one.For a long while, it has been difficult to find a complete set of Maupassant's stories.I'm happy to see they are available again for readers to enjoy.As a very young adolescent in the late 1960s, I discovered the short stories of Guy de Maupassant.They were so frightening to me, so close to the bare bone of truth, that I hid his collection under my bed for fear I would be "found out" reading them.Two stories that stand out to me, which I have read many times throughout my life, are "Mother of Monsters" and "Bellflower.""Mother of Monsters" is about a poor woman who bound her abdomen with corsets during her pregnancies so as to create "monsters," which she then sold to side shows.It was how she made her living. The gruesome nature of the story notwithstanding, it is the metaphorical implication that most intrigues me.The story invites us to ask ourselves to what extent we endanger ourselves and our children for the sake of survival.How do we "contort" our children psychologically so that they (and we) will "succeed" or "fit in,"and thus become financially successful. I'm sure I didn't understand all the implications of the story when I was young; but the story has grown in my mind all these years, and it has served as a warning. Bellflower is a tender and most terrible recollection of the life and death of Clochette (or Bellflower).At the beginning of the story, Maupassant writes:

"HOW STRANGE are those old recollections which haunt us without our being able to get rid of them! This one is so very old that I cannot understand how it has clung so vividly and tenaciously to my memory. Since then I have seen so many sinister things, either affecting or terrible, that I am astonished at not being able to pass a single day without the face of Mother Bellflower recurring to my mind's eye, just as I knew her formerly long, long ago, when I was ten or twelve years old."

The purpose of the story is to reveal the origin of Bellflower's limp:

"She limped, not like lame people generally do, but like a ship pitching. When she planted her great bony, vibrant body on her sound leg, she seemed to be preparing to mount some enormous wave, and then suddenly she dipped as if to disappear in an abyss and buried herself in the ground. Her walk reminded one of a ship in a storm, and her head, which was always covered with an enormous white cap, whose ribbons fluttered down her back, seemed to traverse the horizon from north to south and from south to north at each limp."

I won't spoil the story by revealing what happened to Bellflower in her youth, but I will stress that this is a hauntingly beautiful story.

I implore anyone interested in the short story form to take a look at Maupassant's work.Most of his stories are very short:we might call them "sudden fiction" today.This would be a great volume to keep beside your bed to read from at night.Many of the stories are also excellent for use in high school or college literature or creative writing courses.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Tales of Guy de Maupassant (The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written)
Awesome deal. Great Price for a handsome book to add to your library.
Besides that holding it and reading it is also a "joy' because if you love classical literature, then this is like a old friend, dressed up. the Paper is acid free, and the gold edges make sure that your purchase or rather I should say your investment will be in great shape even a 100 years from now! Fast Shipping too, Thank you! ... Read more

Product Description
Original Short Stories - Volume 08 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Guy de Maupassant is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Guy de Maupassant then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
The attraction that impelled him toward this girl a little resembled those obscure yet innocent desires that go to make up part of all the ceaseless and unappeasable vibrations of human nerves. His eye of the artist, as well as that of the man, was captivated by her freshness, by that springing of beautiful clear life, by that essence of youth that glowed in her; and his heart, full of memories of his long intimacy with the Countess, finding in the extraordinary resemblance of Annette to her mother a reawakening of old feelings, of emotions sleeping since the beginning of his love, had been startled perhaps by the sensation of an awakening. An awakening? Yes. Was it that? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Maupassant's greatest novel

I read this book in French and consequently, I can't specify the translation is ok. But I can tell you Strong as Death is Maupassant's least known but greatest novel.

The story of a painter from a lower class background, who can succeed in life because of his talent. He's lover to a countess, but she grews older and fears the painter fall in love with her daughter.

Very profoundly described : the fear of growing old. When I see TV commercials for youth creams I can't help thinking it's still very topical. And feeling as a whole are very precisely described.

Maupassant is THE best French writer. ... Read more

Product Description
With An Updated And Corrected Translation

VOLUME I.

BOULE DE SUIFTWO FRIENDS

THE LANCER'S WIFETHE PRISONERS

TWO LITTLE SOLDIERSFATHER MILON

A COUP D'ETATLIEUTENANT LARE'S MARRIAGE

THE HORRIBLEMADAM PARISSE

MADEMOISELLE FIFI A DUEL

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cynical, disturbing, hilarious - a fine anthology
I picked this up on a whim - I like de Maupassant, but since the package didn't list which stories were included on the tapes, it was a bit of a gamble. It paid off, though; Anthony Quayle's reading is very good indeed, and the selection includes a number of stories that I hadn't read before. (The label says "Abridged," but as far as I could tell the individual stories were uncut; it might just mean that this is a subset of stories from a published collection.)

Here's the table of contents as I jotted it down:

Tape 1, Side 1:
Lost at Sea
In the Spring
In the Country
Tape 1, Side 2:
In the Country (cont.)
The Umbrella
A Deal
Playing with Fire
Tape 2, Side 1:
Playing with Fire (cont.)
An Encounter
The Hand
Tape 2, Side 2:
The Hand (cont.)
The Hostelry

Some are dark tales, some very funny ("A Deal," which begins in a courtroom during a trial for attempted murder, is unexpectedly hilarious); some, like "In the Country," are both (and rather cynical - the author doesn't seem to *like* people very much; even in the lightest stories, few of the characters come off in a very good light). Other tales are positively eerie; both "The Hand" and "The Hostelry" have appeared in horror anthologies, and the latter is wonderfully evocative of howling blizzards and snowbound isolation, as it grinds towards its icy, grim conclusion... ... Read more

Product Description
Selected Writings of Guy De Maupassant is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Guy de Maupassant is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Guy de Maupassant then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

No working table of contents in the Kindle edition
My 3-star rating is the compromise between 5 stars for the stories and 0 stars for the Kindle book. The table of contents in the Kindle edition isn't clickable, which makes finding a specific story in the book a near-hopeless task.
Ifyou have a Kindle, check out the "Mobipocket Guide" at http://www.mobileread.com/; this lists thousands of free, public domain Kindle-ready books, including several Guy De Maupassant collections that have working tables of contents. ... Read more

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The story of a scoundrel ... Read more

Product Description
Original Short Stories - Volume 11 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Guy de Maupassant is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Guy de Maupassant then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more