The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Part One

by Guy de Maupassant

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.

Volume I
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Ball-of-Fat (Boule de Suif)
The Diamond Necklace
A Piece of String
The Story of a Farm-Girl
In the Moonlight
Mme. Tellier's Excursion
Love
Mme. Fifi
Monsieur Parent
Useless Beauty
An Affair of State
Babette
A Cock Crowed
Lilie Lala
A Vagabond
The Mountebanks
Ugly
The Debt
A Normandy Joke
The Father
The Artist
False Alarm
That Pig of a Morin

Volume II
---------------------------
Miss Harriet
The Hole
The Inn
A Family
Bellflower
In the Wood
The Marquis de Fumerol
Saved
The Signal
The Devil
The Venus of Braniza
The Rabbit
La Morillonne
Epiphany
Simon's Papa
Waiter, a Bock!
The Sequel to a Divorce
The Clown
The Mad Woman
Mademoiselle

Volume III
---------------------------
A Bad Error
The Port
Chali
Jeroboam
Virtue in the Ballet
The Double Pins
How He Got the Legion of Honor
A Crisis
Graveyard Sirens
Growing Old
A French Enoch Arden
Julie Romain
An Unreasonable Woman
Rosalie Prudent
Hippolyte's Claim
Benoist
Fecundity
A Way to Wealth
Am I Insane?
Forbidden Fruit
The Charm Dispelled
Madame Parisse
Making a Convert

Volume IV
---------------------------
A Little Walk
A Wife's Confession
A Dead Woman's Secret
Love's Awakening
Bed No. 29
Marroca
A Philosopher
A Mistake
Florentine
Consideration
Woman's Wiles
Moonlight
Doubtful Happiness
Humiliation
The Wedding Night
The Noncommissioned Officer
In the Court Room
A Peculiar Case
A Practical Joke
A Strange Fancy
After Death
On Cats
Room No. Eleven
One Phase of Love
Good Reasons
A Fair Exchange
The Tobacco Shop
A Poor Girl
The Substitute
A Passion

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, France, Literature, French Literature, Adult

520 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

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

[Robert Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsieur Maupassant, where have you been all my life?

Maupassant has condensed the short story into it’s very essence: He has crushed the raw coal of language into sparkling diamonds.

The stories are witty, fresh, powerful, tender, magical, unnerving, intelligent, charming, graceful. There are simply not enough adjectives.

Here’s just a small cross section of what you get: a story in the vein of O. Henry, whose ending startles the reader; a magical trip in a hot air balloon; a spiritual crisis; a story of the perils of falling in love; a story of unbearable sadness and regret; the anguish on the loss of a spouse; a story of deceit and its tragic consequences; a story with Dear Abby advice for a naïve young lady who lavishes too many kisses on her lover (includes one of the funniest passages in Maupassant); a justification for the abuse of mind altering drugs; a story of bullying that has a happy ending.

Story after story about what loveable fools we humans are, each story a brief but deeply emotional experience. Every class of person is represented, from courtesans and peasants to aristocracy, and everything between. What all the stories have in common is passion, truth, and wisdom. Read “Was It A Dream” to see what would happen if we told the truth to the world, when we mostly cannot even tell the truth to ourselves. Read “In the Wood” for some Maupassant wisdom: “One does not regret anything as long as one does not notice what one has lost”.

Maupassant indulged his bawdy and bohemian sides as well. In some cases, his stories are overtly sexual. Courtesans feature prominently in several of his stories. This aspect of his writing made him controversial at first, and later very popular to the point that one publisher had 65 “fake” Maupassant “smutty” stories written in order to enhance sales. Maupassant would have found this quite amusing.

Maupassant wrote some 300 short stories during his sadly truncated life, the total yardage of which far exceeds the length of War and Peace. I didn’t feel I could commit to the entire run, so I did some web snooping to get suggestions of the best of Maupassant. Here’s as good a list as any I found:

http://reviews.rebeccareid.com/storie...

I have read 20 of his stories to date, and had planned to stop. The problem is I can’t let him go. As we speak, I’m back to the beginning reading them in order. Will I read all 300? Who knows?

There are numerous Maupassant snobs one can find on the web who speak disparagingly of the earliest translations, one of which is, of course, the one available for free on Project Gutenberg. The snobs be damned. I read the Gutenberg translation, and was deeply moved by each and every story. I’m willing to admit that there are probably better translations, but I was perfectly content with what I read.

Two important stories seem to have been (accidently) left out of the Gutenberg version: Mouche (translated as The Fly) and Was It A Dream? You can read these at:

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/maupa...

You can actually read all of the stories there, but personally I don’t like reading on a PC screen, and I don’t have an iPad, so I always go for what’s available for my Kindle. Naturally, your mileage may vary.

If my review has not lit your fire, read just one story at the site above: Boule de Suif. It’s the first story he published, and it’s considered by many to be his masterpiece. If this doesn’t make you want to read more, then don’t bother having yourself cryonically preserved at death. It would be redundant.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 estrellas.

Uff, lo mucho que me gusta Guy de Maupassant. Necesito una colección así en físico.

[Simone Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant is a master of the short story. Set often in the towns and countryside of wartime France, the stories are painful and revealing without ever being mocking. He understands human questions with poignant depth. The stories are thoroughly enjoyable as well as "classics."

These are important to read for any student of writing as well.

[Natalie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just have to say everyone should read Maupassant he is insightful and so honest it can hurt. I only wish i could read him in French!

[Gaspar Córdoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

En algun lugar vi que las historia de Guy de Maupassant, eran lectura obligada para cualquier persona, tuve mis reservas, sin embargo fue una lectura tan grata, lo volvería a leer varias veces, cada historia de sus relatos cortos es sumamente original, algo extremoso, porque dentro de la cultura francesa moderna que describe y toca temas como el horror, la comedia, la guerra, la caza, el invierno, el amor, la infidelidad, la prostitución, los viajes y varios mas que seguramente se me estan olvidando.

En particular me encantó "Las hermanas Rondoli" y "La cabellera", entre sus relatos.

[Ratnadip Acharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man had real mastery on short stories. No author, be it O. Henry, Hemingway, Tolstoy, Chekov or ever Tagore, can beat his excellence at short story. His had real mastery on ‘Surprise ending’, which is considered to be the finest tool to write a good short story. No wonder, Munchi Premchandra was deeply influenced by him. I can feel it as I read Premchand’d short stories. Out of his 270 short stories (sadly he died at the age of 43) almost 75 % stories have universal appeal and though they were written on Normandy life anyone from any part of the world at any era can relate to his work. I have learnt that he wrote 6 novels in his life and that Tolstoy was all praise for his novels. In spite of mu best effort I could not find any English translation of any of his novels. If any reader had any notion about it kindly notify me.

[Andres]

I absolutely enjoy reading his short stories, especially because he describes the characters and the scenery so vividly. Here are some of my favorites: The Necklace(of course), Bellflower, and Le Horla. Because his stories are considered public domain, you can legally download many of his stories from here: http://manybooks.net/search.php?searc...

I encourage you to at least read one story if you aren't familiar with his work. Promise you'll like it!

[Mary Emily O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read and re-read this book all the time.
i first read the story "ball-of-fat" around 2002... from it, i learned about fairness and the vicious nature of the group mentality. a sort of prostitute's rights primer in fiction.
de maupassant is my favorite moralist. in two or three pages he can turn the human machine inside out and expose its cogs to the light of day. brilliant.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am re-reading these slowly and one at a time with breaks between because, as my friend Dominique in book club says, each one is horrible, giving you a jolt and leaving a deliciously bad taste in your mouth at the end. Never think for a moment they are pleasant stories of a time past in France. Think vanity. Think prejudice. Think smugness and just deserts.

[Tom Lichtenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love reading de Maupassant's stories. There is always something of perfection in nearly every one. The stories are always driven by their characters, which are always genuine. He seemed to see people above and beyond their time or place, their class or gender. He was such a humane writer, even at his most cynical. You get the feeling he loved his stories and the people in them.

[Norrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant schreef romans en korte verhalen, maar ik las van hem alleen de verhalen. Zijn verhalen gaan voor een groot deel over de verhoudingen tussen mannen en vrouwen, vanuit 19e eeuws perspectief.
De Maupassant is een boeiende verteller, en bij geen enkel verhaal werd hij saai of langdradig. Veel verhalen gaan over list en bedrog, ontrouw en egoïsme, en lopen vaak niet goed af. Dat ik de verhalen - ondanks de slechte afloop - goed te verteren vond komt vooral door de humoristische en vlotte schrijfstijl van De Maupassant. 'Vlot' moet hier uiteraard wel worden gezien in de tijd waarin hij ze schreef.
Vermakelijk en onderhoudend.

[Tulbure Alexandru · Rating 4 out of 5]

“O poveste de dragoste la sfârșit de secol”

CHAMFORT - “Avem de ales între a iubi femeia și a o cunoaște”

“ Ea mă tulbură, mă seduce și mă neliniștește, mă atrage și mă înspăimântă. Mă păzesc de ea ca de o capcană și o doresc tot așa cum ai poftă de un sorbet când ți-e sete. Îi îndur vraja și nu mă apropii decât cu frica nedeslușită pe care o ai în raport cu cineva bănuit a fi un hoț îndemânatic. În preajmă-i încerc o chemare irațională față de candoarea posibilă dar și o neîncredere perfect rațională la adresa șmecheriei ei, ambele nu mai puțin probabile.”

[Wojtek Konieczny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak naprawdę: "Historia prawdziwa i inne nowele"
Całość lepsza niż suma konkretnych opowiadań. Nie ma tu słabych tekstów, nie ma też wybitnych czy bardzo dobrych (ale jest sporo "zapamiętywalnych"), ale czyta się to dobrze i całościowo składają się na przekonującą, mocną panoramę smutno-śmiesznych postaci ówczesnej Francji. Do refleksji.

[Wayne Westphal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant is my overall favorite story teller. I read The Necklace as a school boy and was captivated. As a young man, I had read, Was It A Dream, A Father's Confession, and A Sister's Confession and was in Maupassant's web.
He spins yarns with emotional connections that are real. He is the consummate wordsmith with a knack for appealing to the heart and the head. Truly great stories.

[Bookworm McClain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maupassant's sharp wit cuts cherised ideals, such as fidelity and romantic love, to ribbons. Sometimes this is done with skill. However, many of the stories are hack jobs in which being irreverent just for the sake of being irreverent is considered enough to hold the audience. Reading this collection in small bites is enjoyable, but I don't reccommend consuming it all in one go.

[Luis Diego Camacho Mora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es de esos libros alternos que uno tiene por ahí para ir leyendo poco a poco, pero leí solo algunos cuentos y no me emocionaron así que abandoné. La verdad me parecieron aburridos y no le seguí dando la oportunidad a los que seguían.

[Patrick Berzai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best short stories you'll ever read. My favorite, "The Horla" I read at least once a year.

[Tanjim Tasnim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book which I have read with Bangla Translation. There are a lot of stories in this book. Most of them are Romantic. But every time Maupassant will leave a twist or good finishing for you.

[Teresa Villaseñor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda boring and repetitive, also I hate war stories. I like him but it's not his best, his novels are better.

[Bill Borre]

The Unknown is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
The Wolf is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
Was It A Dream? is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
Who Knows? is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror

[Sharang Swaminathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant is without a doubt one of the most enthralling and appalling authors of all time. His works are short and simple but in their simplicity, they make the reader understand human nature better than ever. Some of his stories are considered to be horror stories like "Diary of a Madman". "Diary of Madman" is a truly gruesome tale about a very respected and successful supreme-court judge. As he daily sentence criminals to death, the idea of death and killing him begins to drive him to understand why men kill. The curiosity begins to unhinge him and drives him to kill his servant's pet bird. Enjoyable as it was to him, we wanted to see blood: Human blood. Killing the bird only made him ebullient to kill humans and you can see his internal conflict about whether or not he should kill. The story is short but truly frightening to think that anyone, even a respected judge, could be capable of murder. The philosophical nature of the Judge's curiosity makes the reader curious and ponder along with him. Another appalling short story is "Hair". "Hair" takes the reader along with a man's life leading up to his complete mental breakdown. A lonely and wealthy man buys an antique cupboard and in a secret compartment he finds a bundle of hair that belonged to a woman. His curiosity as to who this woman was leads him to fantasize and he falls in love with this woman (or her hair!). Since its written in first person, you can see the man's mental decline as he gets closer and closer to complete insanity. This story also forces the reader to see human nature from a different point of view.

In my opinion, Guy de Maupassant is a master of not only knowing how to enthrall the readers but also of completely understanding human nature. Subjects that humans are morbidly curious about are the themes that he uses to amaze his readers. I found myself shocked in so many stories not only due to the events occurring in the stories but also due to the fact that the stories make me question my own point-of-view. Guy de Maupassant is capable of completely capturing his readers and truly, I ended up reading many of his stories over and over again. They are just as shocking no matter how many times I read them. However, in my opinion there were some stories that seemed far-fetched (like vendetta) or stretched out too long but even these stories, in the end, had the same shocking effect on me that makes me want to read more and more.

[Mandysan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent before bedtime short stories by which one gains many a nugget of wisdom!

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read The Necklace as a schoolboy and was told by my teacher that Guy de Maupassant was the O Henry of France. This, of course is not true. While he did occasionally employ the twist endings that O Henry was famous for most of his work was much more complex than that. Major themes were the satire of social conventions and class systems, marrying for position and appearance instead of love, loneliness in the midst of masses of people, etc. The stories read like Czarist Russian literature and as such can be depressing but some are also very funny such as The Piece of String in which a man's reputation is destroyed after the simple act of picking up said piece of string. Others are agonizing as is one story about a woman who regrets throwing her dog down a well because she can't afford to keep it. Boule de Suif may be the best example of his work as it encompasses a number of his themes. It was also the inspiration for the John Ford film, Stagecoach.

[Ly Casnocha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant composed these short stories in a clever manner. He described and reflected the contemporary society, where characters experienced their own struggles either emotionally, politically, or socially. I think Guy de Maupassant is notable for the detailed depiction of either natural settings, or protagonists' battles, and clever metaphors. Overall, I felt impressed at these short stories, how moving some works showcased, as well as the way they reflect the society and social classes.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found an old copy of his short stories in White Elephant (how Berkeleyish of me) and I started reading them before bed. I've found that they work as a sedative if I read them aloud to Chris, but if you actually pay attention, they are great stories. I recently read one about an antique collector who goes insane over a lock of hair found hidden in an old dresser.

[Jose Antonio Moch · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is the best short story writer of all times. He can deal with man's sexuality at its rawest: "Morocca", "Little Louise Roque" to a life devoted to spirituality and renouncement of life's pleasures: "After", "Love" with all the gamut of human passions and foibles in between. Since my English edition is made up of more than a thousand pages, its reading is an ongoing activity.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories are fantastic. I could only read a couple at a time because I often had to think about it. It also contains the novelette "Ball of Fat" which is really good. Very readable and I can't believe I have never read Guy de Maupassant before. Available for free download on Kindle. I also downloaded his novel Bel Ami but haven't read it yet.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to find de Maupassant in my "read" list since I keep this by my bed to open for literary sustenance the way that other people bible dip, but I suppose that it is not the only thing that I have read that I am also always currently reading. There is also Donald Barthelme.

[Angie Braegger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish it. Started reading it straight through, and after about 100 pgs, started skipping around, and then I gave up. Some are very well written, some are odd, but most are sensual in some way.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember having this thick book forever. When I hadn`t any book to read I open this purple thick book and read one novel or short stories before sleeping. "The Necklace" is a classics and one of those memorable stories.