French Stories/Contes Francais: A Dual-Language Book

by Wallace Fowlie (Editor)

"The selections are good and the translations are excellent." ― Germaine Brée, New York University
Drawn from two centuries of French literature, these superb selections by ten great writers span a wide variety of styles, philosophies, and literary creeds. The stories reflect not only the beliefs of various literary schools, but the preoccupations of French civilization, at the various times of their composition, with the metaphysical and psychological problems of man.
Contents include Micromégas (Voltaire), La Messe de l'Athée (Honoré de Balzac), La Légende de Saint Julien l'Hospitalier (Gustave Flaubert), Le Spleen de Paris (Charles Baudelaire), Menuet (Guy de Maupassant), Mort de Judas (Paul Claudel), Le Retour de l'Enfant Prodigue (André Gide), Grand-Lebrun (François Mauriac), Le Passe-Muraille (Marcel Aymé), and L'Hôte (Albert Camus).
Students of French, or those who wish to refresh their knowledge of the language, will welcome this treasury of masterly fiction. The selections are arranged chronologically, allowing the reader to witness the development of French literary art — from Voltaire to Camus. Excellent English translations appear on pages facing the Original French. Also included are a French-English vocabulary list, textural notes, and exercises.

Genres: France, Fiction, Short Stories, Language, Classics, Anthologies, French Literature

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only one of these stories I really liked was The Guest by Camus, and I'd read it before. They're all very dry and written in complex French, and while that's the kind of French I'm learning in uni, I wasn't in the mood to read it "for fun."

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! I've spent years (literally) working my way through this book in short bursts, as my French is patchy at best. It's a really great tool for people who have a decent knowledge of basic French grammatical structures, but whose vocabulary and general understanding of the language needs improvement. The facing-page translation makes it terribly easy to cheat, but if you can discipline yourself enough to try to work through the French on your own, the translations are very helpful at offering more nuanced interpretations of the French text and you'll definitely be better at reading French by the end of it.

Lots of the stories are really enjoyable as well. Once of the nice things about reading works in a foreign language is that you're really forced to slow down, to savor the language and really think about it. Even if you can't quite grasp the subtleties of word choice, the images really have time to linger, which is nice. Le Passe-Muraille, L'Hote, and Le Retour de l'Enfant Prodigue, and La Legende de St. Julien L'Hospitalier were especially lovely stories, but there's enough variety in here that most people will be able to find something to like.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a godsend. My French is very poor and I have often tried reading easy French stories which always turn out to be rather inconsequential and usually too easy. The stories in this set by well-known French authors were very well chosen: always interesting and just challenging enough not to need a dictionary every other word. The English translations are set at intervals throughout the stories - just far enough apart to make revisiting and comparing quite straightforward. I found myself rereading every section and the French is so well-written that this was never a chore although I have to admit giving up on Voltaire. The English translations were very clumsy but probably intentionally so in order to keep it as close to the French as possible.
Result: great improvement in my French and eager for more.

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micromegas, Voltaire: Fantastic. Very simple and thought provoking. Everything is relative.

The Atheist's Mass, Balzac: Heart touching. It was ok.

The Legend of St.Julian the Hospitaler, Flaubert: Riveting and slightly horrific. Reminds me of that Greek myth. Fav so far?

3 Poems in Prose, Baudelaie: 1) Spleen of Paris... ok. 2) The Poor Boy's Toy... I liked it. Adults teach everything to children, but we are all alike when we're young, whether rich or poor. 3) The Rope... but why?!? So sad and rather depressing ending.

Minuet, Guy De Maupassant: It was good. I didn't fully understand, but I liked it.

Death of Judas, Claudel: I wanted to like this alot more but I was confused a times. What a great POV though. I like how he was characterized, very timeless

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Gide: Again, I wanted to like this alot more but I was confused a times. What a great POV though.

Grand-Lebrun, Mauriac: Eh

The Passer-Through-Walls, Ayme: GREAT AND FUN

The Guest, Camus: I like Camus but don't fully understand this one on my own. I liked it though.

Overall, I'm glad I read this collection of short stores. It was a great introduction to many famous French authors, including those I had never heard of. Some stories were boring, but others good.

I did not read the French translation, but I like to think one day I will (lol). Thank you to the French bistro restaurant who 'gave' (?) me this book.

[Padraig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this because I'm learning French. It's a collection of short-stories from authors such as Voltaire, Balzac, Flaubert, Baudelaire, de Maupassant, Gide, Camus. So quite the cast-list. It's fine, it's just a bit hit-and-miss with the different authors.

One of the more memorable stories was one called 'Death of Judas' by Paul Claudel. It tells the biblical story, but from Judas's point of view, and is thus sympathetic to him. I think the heretical aspect appealed to me.

[Ann-Marie Messbauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way this book is set up. On the left-hand page is the text in French, on the right-hand page, the English translation. Each story comes with a short introduction about the author, and there are notes in the back for references which might be more obscure to American readers. There is a good variety of styles. Some stories I had issues with, but still found interesting to read. I especially liked the selections by Balzac, Maupassant, Mauriac, and Camus.

[Kate Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the format of this book. And I question the content. Men's stories about men. Many are dull. Francois Mauriac's selection was added for no reason at all -- just a complete snore. But a simple way to reconnect with French literature.

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories ranged from ok to promising - except for the one by Flaubert, which was positively distasteful.

21/365 -2022

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of classic French author’s work. A bilingual edition.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old collection now. Originally published by Bantam in 1960, it came out in a Dover reprint in 1990. The only revision in this edition was the inclusion of dates of death for two of the authors who passed away after 1960. The font is nice and clear, so the text is very readable, which is important when one is reading French, with its accents and contractions.

The selection of stories is very good. I found the Voltaire pretty dry, but the other stories were interesting and very well-written. The Ayme story, Le Passe-Muraille, about a man with the unusual ability to walk through walls, was amusing, with an ironic twist at the end. A similar irony is to be found in L'Hote, by Albert Camus. The de Maupassant selection, Menuet, is just charming.

Several of these selections have religious themes, reminding one of the influence of Catholicism even in the supposedly secular French Republics of the 19th and 20th centuries. The contributions of Balzac, Flaubert, Claudel, and Gide all reveal a serious engagement with questions of religion and faith.

Overall, a very good collection of stories, all within the reach of my skills in the French language. A much-appreciated gift from a friend!

[Jean Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been going back to this book a lot because I enjoyed both the English translations of the texts but also it really helped me while reading the original french to get a better understanding of the flow and poetry of the french language. It really puts into perspective why some concepts in English literature still use those french terms as there is actually no real way for English to achieve the same effect due to our grammatical structures. Additionally it was a great way to practice my french reading skills.

[Jayat Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helped me understand a bit more of French and its grammar. Still, the style in which this book is written makes it a tough read. It becomes dizzying and at times boring.
It fulfilled its goal of teaching, but I wish I could have enjoyed the process more.

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love bilingual books like I love bilingual books, French Stories/Contes Francais will be a real treat. Bilingual books save spare readers scores of definition squirming and struggling. Thank You, Wallace Fowlie.

[Angela Randall]

Want to get this because it's dual-language: French Stories

[Juliana Es]

Looking forward to read this book! Purchased from Book Depository.

[william ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a man's world

All the writers and most of the characters are male. I found myself wondering who are the French women writers and ended up buying Bonjour Tristesse .?! The eBook format isn't ideal for parallel text ( the clue's in 'parallel') but it is surprisingly manageable and encourages you to have a go at deciphering the French before surrendering to the expert fluency of the translation. In spite of the gender bias the stories are most enjoyable varying from moral tale to prose poem. The level of difficulty is respectful but not extreme.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an easy read, mais ça vaut le coup.