The Inn

by Guy de Maupassant

AKA "The Hostelry"

This early work by Guy de Maupassant was originally published in the 1880's. Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850 at the Château de Miromesnil, near Dieppe, France. He came from a prosperous family, but when Maupassant was eleven, his mother risked social disgrace by trying to secure a legal separation from her husband. After the split, Maupassant lived with his mother till he was thirteen, and inherited her love of classical literature. In 1880, Maupassant published his first - and, according to many, his best - short story, entitled 'Boule de Suif' ('Ball of Fat'). It was an instant success. He went on to be extremely prolific during the 1880s, working methodically to produce up to four volumes of short fiction every year. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, French Literature, Ebooks, Audiobook

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.

Reviews

[Sr3yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oi, Stephen King fans! Stop me if you've heard this one.

A Hotel. Not just any hotel, but a hotel in a remote area. The hotel operates for six months and closes down for the winter as the snowfall makes the roads impassable during that time. The hotel usually hires someone to look after the place during this downtime, a caretaker who voluntarily becomes prisoner during the winter.



Eh! Eh? I know you are shouting Shining or Redrum at me, but the description I gave is for "The Inn" by Guy de Maupassant, published in 1886.

I found this story while I was reading the Wikipedia page of "The Shining". The article mentioned The Inn as a possible inspiration for the novel. It's a thirteen-page short story, so I found it on the web and read it right then and there!

Aaaaand it's a quite fascinating story. Even though the setting is familiar, the characters and the dynamics of the story is entirely different. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to one thing:

Solitude can be damaging in itself.
------ Stephen King, The Shining.

Read it here ----> http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story that deftly demonstrates the two faces of solitude and the quick descending spiral from placid days to dark disturbed nights.

I didn't find the girl's role within the story to be strong or clearly delineated, and thus the ending was perplexing and out of place for me. She is first referenced as a girl, then later grouped with her mother as women, but my mind had already imagined her as a young child, not a young lady or more. If the intent of her role was romantic interest, it was lost on me as I viewed Ulrich's earnest gazing to be of a curious and guileless sort; he was enchanted by the endearing child, not enamored of an appealing young lady. Also, at the end she is described as "Little Louise," which again makes me think of her as a young child.

I may not have quite followed all the intended leads along the way, but I did comprehend the theme and recognize the significance of the elements of the story, so in my book, that's a mark in the win column.

The Inn can be read online here: https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-inn

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick story about isolation and the dread of being snowed in!

[Anish Kohli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well….that’s one hour of my life I am never getting back!

A short story that I came to know about through Mr. Smarty-pants’s review of the same. It does read like a possible inspiration for SK’s The Shining but barely so.

It’s written poorly and I found it to be rushed and had no flow. Total waste of my time and so I won’t recommend to anyone.
But if you’re feeling adventurous, read it for free here!

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!! I really loved this story. to me, it seemed in line with some of Algernon Blackwood's stories and that is just fine with me. no spoilers but check it out!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC radio 4 Extra:
Published in 1886, Guy de Maupassant's haunting short story is a wintry, snowbound tale of loneliness and dark imaginings, as a young mountain guide finds himself in sole charge of a remote Alpine hotel. It begins with the first stirrings of a love affair; it ends in mystery and mayhem.

Dramatised for radio by Sue Glover.

Ulrich ...... Robin Laing
Gaspard ...... Gareth Thomas
Louise Hauser ...... Vicki Liddelle
Jeanne Hauser ...... Kirstin Murray
Jean Hauser ...... John Shedden
Aunt Berthe ...... Tamara Kennedy
Uncle Maurice ...... Sandy Neilson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09rbpy5

[Dana Cristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars to this free short story.

It was sad in some ways, but I liked the story and the setting.

You can read the book here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting winter tale for a wintry night.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story tells us of a man’s decent into madness. Two men are left alone for the winter to care for a snow bound inn at the top of the mountains. Over the course of a long winter one of the men goes missing while out hunting. The surviving man struggles with the isolation and believes that the missing man is calling during the night. This isolation and fear of the lost man’s ghost is more than the survivor can bear and he slowly loses his mind.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd5p-...

Description: The Inn by Guy de Maupassant was broadcast on BBC Radio on 24 December 2006
Published in 1886, Guy de Maupassant's haunting short story is a wintry, snowbound tale of loneliness and dark imaginings, as a young mountain guide finds himself in sole charge of a remote Alpine hotel. It begins with the first stirrings of a love affair; it ends in mystery and mayhem.
Dramatised for radio by Sue Glover.

Ulrich ...... Robin Laing
Gaspard ...... Gareth Thomas
Louise Hauser ...... Vicki Liddelle
Jeanne Hauser ...... Kirstin Murray
Jean Hauser ...... John Shedden
Aunt Berthe ...... Tamara Kennedy
Uncle Maurice ...... Sandy Neilson.

[Tommy Trionfetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktYOk... by a sadly nameless narrator.

Thank you to Latasha for bringing this classic to my attention. I won't say anything about the story, but if you've been a wee bit scared off classic horror due to the language or themes, this one is a perfect place to start. Beautifully narrated with a palpable sense of growing dread, and at just 30 minutes long, there's really no excuse is there? Unless of course, you're feeling somewhat faint-hearted......

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn, Stephen King really copied this guys (hehe) homework

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant's "The Inn" is a short horror story that makes you wonder if there really was a ghost or it was high string imagination.

Story in short- The Hausers always leave their inn during the winter and after returning they are quite surprised.


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Resembling in appearance all the wooden hostelries of the High Alps situated at the foot of glaciers in the barren rocky gorges that intersect the summits of the mountains, the Inn of Schwarenbach serves as a resting place for travellers crossing the Gemini Pass. It remains open for six months in the year and is inhabited by the family of Jean Hauser; then, as soon as the snow begins to fall and to fill
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the valley so as to make the road down to Loeche impassable, the father and his three sons go away and leave the house in charge of the old guide, Gaspard Hari, with the young guide, Ulrich Kunsi, and Sam, the great mountain dog. The two men and the dog remain till the spring in their snowy prison, with nothing before their eyes except the immense white slopes of the Balmhorn, surrounded by light, glistening summits, and are shut in, blocked up and buried by the snow which rises around them and

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which envelops, binds and crushes the little house, which lies piled on the roof, covering the windows and blocking up the door. It was the day on which the Hauser family were going to return to Loeche, as winter was approaching, and the descent was becoming dangerous. Three mules started first, laden with baggage and led by the three sons. Then the mother, Jeanne Hauser, and her daughter Louise mounted a fourth mule and set off in their turn and the father followed them, accompanied by the
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two men in charge, who were to escort the family as far as the brow of the descent.
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By degrees the young guide, Ulrich Kunsi, a tall, long-legged Swiss, left old man Hauser and old Gaspard behind, in order to catch up the mule which bore the two women. The younger one looked at him as he approached and appeared to be calling him with her sad eyes. She was a young, fairhaired little peasant girl, whose milk-white cheeks and pale hair looked as if they had lost their color by their long abode
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amid the ice. When he had got up to the animal she was riding he put his hand on the crupper and relaxed his speed. Mother Hauser began to talk to him, enumerating with the minutest details all that he would have to attend to during the winter. It was the first time that he was going to stay up there, while old Hari had already spent fourteen winters amid the snow, at the inn of Schwarenbach. Ulrich Kunsi listened, without appearing to understand and looked incessantly at the girl. From time
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to time he replied: “Yes, Madame Hauser,” but his thoughts seemed far away and his calm features remained unmoved.

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert ❌❌❌

The owners of an inn leave during the winter months because it becomes covered with snow and return to the town via the pass impossible. The Hauser family has a young daughter who one of the young man, Ulrich, is in love with her, he has to stay with the older man, Gaspard Hari at the inn during the long isolated months. When Gaspard does not return after an excursion, Ulrich tries to find him with his dog, Sam but he fails to find any clue and he has been gone a long time. Ulrich starts to hear noises and it seems a spirit is looking to haunt the inn because the body not having a proper burial. He starts to drink to keep this out of his mind and one night he hears a noise at the door, opening it and screaming in terror. Sam has walked outside to check on the noise and Ulrich unawares closes the door on him. Sam starts to make noise but the too frightened Ulrich thinks it is the ghost and puts furniture by the door to prevent entry. The Hausers come back as scheduled, surprised that the men did not meet them and they are unable to open the door. They finally thrust themselves in and find a white haired tattered man, the young daughter recognised Ulrich, he doesn't talk and after the doctor sees him, he is diagnosed as mentally ill. The young daughter almost dies after finding her lover so changed. The family could not find Gaspard and never found out the story of the dead dog and what else happened there. Extremely sad! I was hoping that Ulrich would not take this turn but be happily married. I think that Ulrich's imagination ruined himself.

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The mule stopped at the edge of the path, which winds and turns continually, doubling backward, then, fantastically and strangely, along the side of the mountain as far as the almost invisible little village at its feet. The women jumped into the snow and the two old men joined them. “Well,” father Hauser
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said, “good-by, and keep up your spirits till next year, my friends,” and old Hari replied: “Till next year.” They embraced each other and then Madame Hauser in her turn offered her cheek, and the girl did the same. When Ulrich Kunsi’s turn came, he whispered in Louise’s ear, “Do not forget those up yonder,” and she replied, “No,” in such a low voice that he guessed what she had said without hearing it. “Well, adieu,” Jean Hauser repeated, “and

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don’t fall ill.” And going before the two women, he commenced the descent, and soon all three disappeared at the first turn in the road, while the two men returned to the inn at Schwarenbach. They walked slowly, side by side, without speaking. It was over, and they would be alone together for four or five months. Then Gaspard Hari began to relate his life last winter. He had remained with Michael Canol, who was too old now to stand it, for an accident might happen during that long solitude. They
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had not been dull, however; the only thing was to make up one’s mind to it from the first, and in the end one would find plenty of distraction, games and other means of whiling away the time. Ulrich Kunsi listened to him with his eyes on the ground, for in his thoughts he was following those who were descending to the village.
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The village, in its rocky pit, was not yet buried under the snow, from which it was sheltered by the pine woods which protected it on all sides. Its low houses looked like paving stones in a large meadow from above. Hauser’s little daughter
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was there now in one of those gray-colored houses. In which? Ulrich Kunsi was too far away to be able to make them out separately. How he would have liked to go down while he was yet able!
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The following days were like the first, bright and cold, without any fresh snow. Old Gaspard spent his afternoons in watching the eagles and other rare birds which ventured on those frozen heights, while Ulrich returned regularly to the Gemmi Pass to look at the village. Then they played cards, dice or dominoes and lost and won a trifle, just to create an interest in the game.
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One morning Hari, who was up first, called his companion. A moving, deep and light cloud of white spray was falling on them noiselessly and was by degrees burying them under a thick, heavy coverlet of foam. That lasted four days and four nights. It was necessary to free the door and the windows, to dig out a passage and to cut steps to get over this frozen powder, which a twelve hours’ frost had made as hard as the granite of the moraines. They lived like prisoners and did not venture outside their abode.
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Their regular and monotonous work was interrupted by long games at cards or dice, and they never quarrelled, but were always calm and placid. They were never seen impatient or ill-humored, nor did they ever use hard words, for they had laid in a stock of patience

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for their wintering on the top of the mountain.
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For three weeks Ulrich had not been to the edge of the precipice from which he had looked down on the village, and he wanted to go there before climbing the slopes which led to Wildstrubel. Loeche was now also covered by the snow and the houses could scarcely be
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distinguished, covered as they were by that white cloak. Then, turning to the right, he reached the Loemmern glacier. He went along with a mountaineer’s long strides, striking the snow, which was as hard as a rock, with his iron-pointed stick, and with his piercing eyes he looked for the little black, moving speck in the distance, on that enormous, white expanse. When he reached the end of the glacier he stopped and asked himself whether the old man had taken that road, and then he began to walk
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along the moraines with rapid and uneasy steps. The day was declining, the snow was assuming a rosy tint, and a dry, frozen wind blew in rough gusts over its crystal surface. Ulrich uttered a long, shrill, vibrating call. His voice sped through the deathlike silence in which the mountains were sleeping; it reached the distance, across profound and motionless waves of glacial foam, like the cry of a bird across the waves of the sea. Then it died away and nothing answered him.
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He began to walk again. The sun had sunk yonder behind the mountain tops, which were still purple with the reflection from the sky, but the depths of the valley were becoming gray, and suddenly the young man felt frightened. It seemed to him as if the silence, the cold, the solitude, the winter death of these mountains were taking possession of him, were going to stop and to freeze his blood, to make his limbs grow stiff and to turn him into a motionless and frozen object, and he set off running, fleeing toward his dwelling. The old man, he thought, would have returned during his absence. He had taken another road; he would, no doubt, be sitting before the fire, with a dead chamois at his feet. He soon came in sight of the inn, but no smoke rose from it. Ulrich walked faster and opened the door. Sam ran up to him to greet him, but Gaspard Hari had not returned. Kunsi, in his alarm, turned round suddenly, as if he had expected to find his comrade hidden in a corner. Then he relighted the fire and made the soup, hoping
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every moment to see the old man come in. From time to time he went out to see if he were not coming. It was quite night now, that wan, livid night of the mountains, lighted by a thin, yellow crescent moon, just disappearing behind the mountain tops. Then the young man went in and sat down to warm his hands and feet,

while he pictured to himself every possible accident. Gaspard might have broken a leg, have fallen into a crevasse, taken a false step and dislocated his ankle. And,
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perhaps, he was lying on the snow, overcome and stiff with the cold, in agony of mind, lost and, perhaps, shouting for help, calling with all his might in the silence of the night.. But where? The mountain was so vast, so rugged, so dangerous in places, especially at that time of the year, that it would have required ten or twenty guides to walk for a week in all directions to find a man in that immense space. Ulrich Kunsi, however, made up his mind to set out with Sam if Gaspard did
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not return by one in the morning, and he made his preparations. He put provisions for two days into a bag, took his steel climbing iron, tied a long, thin, strong rope round his waist, and looked to see that his iron-shod stick and his axe, which served to cut steps in the ice, were in order. Then he waited. The fire was burning on the hearth, the great dog was snoring in front of it, and the clock was ticking, as regularly as a heart beating, in its resounding wooden case. He waited, with his ears on the alert for distant sounds, and he shivered when the wind blew against the roof and the walls. It struck twelve and he trembled: Then, frightened and shivering, he put some water on the fire, so that he might have some hot coffee before starting, and when the clock struck one he got up, woke Sam, opened the door and went off in the direction of the Wildstrubel. For five hours he mounted, scaling the rocks by means of his climbing irons, cutting into the ice, advancing continually, and occasionally hauling up the dog, who remained
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below at the foot of some slope that was too steep for him, by means of the rope. It was about six o’clock when he reached one of the summits to which old Gaspard often came after chamois, and he waited till it should be daylight.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It begins with the first stirrings of a love affair, but it ends in mystery and mayhem.
A young mountain guide finds himself in sole charge of a remote Alpine hotel in the Swiss Alps when his older companion fails to return from a hunting trip. Loneliness, fear and desperation lead to a mental breakdown for the young guide. Was there really a ghost that he heard?

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy tale of cold and winter.

[Rick West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic story of a person in solitude goes mad. Very much reminded me of Stephen King's The Shinning. Great short read.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I realize short stories lean toward what they do because if they didn’t what could a short story possibly do to keep your attention? And I’ve noticed this during several, when I hoped that something awful, unexpected, or impossible might happen. Fancy that.

I read Humiliation by the same author, but can’t find it here on Goodreads. I decided I’d tackle other random works from the same author. Here we are, at The Inn where I'll simply let other Goodreads users describe in swifter detail what you might expect. I do wonder if I’m reading a translation and how that might affect the writing.

I was bored to begin with and ended slightly satisfied, definitely sad, and irritated. The mad side of solitude.

[elise amaryllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
i wasn't captivated, didn't like the writing style, it felt like it was supposed to be creepy/scary but it just...flopped? maybe i would've enjoyed it more in regular book form rather than audiobook, which i can find to dull my enjoyment of the book, but i didn't mind the narrator + listened to three other short stories by this author that i enjoyed so i think i just wasn't a fan of this. it just felt so bland. it was short, so maybe there wasn't enough time for me to find it compelling, but it was so boring to me that it felt long.

[𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were to rate this short story, I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.
By the way, I read this as a part of a collection of short stories by Guy de Maupassant and Franz Kafka in Libby.
I couldn't find the collection in GoodReads, so I'm writing my reviews like this.

"The Inn" is the next short story featured in this collection.
Personally, I wouldn't say I liked this very much.
The slow and steady madness was natural, but I didn't appreciate how it dragged on and was described in such painful detail.
The plot had no development and was dull.
I also felt sorry for the characters.

[nhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5
This definitely wasn't what I was expecting...but it wasn't bad. The story definitely had an interesting setting being set in the High Alps and all. The uses of similes and metaphors throughout this story painted many vivid scenes in my mind. It was a really short story and the ending really surprised me. Overall, I thought it was ok.

*I read this for a class

[Bright · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a short story, so don’t read a synopsis, anything they say will give it away or be in error.

I thought it was well written. The scenery was vivid in my mind’s eye.
The summation (the last sentence) was very quick and wanted a little more on that topic.

[Megg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precursor to The Shining, I was already a fan. This is a fantastic radio play by the BBC of this classic tale...

https://archive.org/details/bbc-guy-d...

[Manos (hoarding books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark short story set in a remote, isolated inn located between snow capped mountains.
Two men and a dog are bound to share a lonely winter living in the closed inn, until spring.

Until madness invades their life.

[Dr. Sabarish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story . A horror/tragedy . And some may find it boring or distasteful. But I found the writing good enough to make me emotional, and heavy hearted

[Nisha-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read of this before I get fully stuck into The Shining and ooohhh so good though I would have liked a more powerful denouement. My first de Maupassant.

[Hamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة رائعة لأبو القصة القصيرة موباسان مليئة بالإثارة والتشويق وجاءت نهايتها غير متوقعة بالنسبة لي

[Rachelle]

Une bonne histoire!

[Oli]

I stay 'noided

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a terrible tale, with little warmth or comfort. Note to self; do not stay in cabins, inns or hotels that close for winter due to snow etc. It never ends well.