Author: Guy de Maupassant
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 1999
Total Pages: 306
ISBN-13: 9780192837523
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →For Maupassant, existence is what happens to us between two events which we cannot avoid: birth and death. The space between is filled with a compulsory programme of rituals which merely pass the time. But mankind cannot bear too much truth, and we turn mating to Love, dignify war by calling it Patriotism, subscribe to morality, and generally delude ourselves that we are not animals acting upon instinct but rational creatures capable of idealistic beliefs and actions. We survive only on the drug of self-deception. Maupassant, whose disgust with creation was only equalled by his contempt for human hypocrisy, takes a scalpel to our illusions and cuts to the bone. He operates without anaesthetic and his tales are not for the squeamish. He would be unbearable to read if his clinical pessimism were not redeemed by a sense of the absurd and a warmer compassion for 'humanity bleeding'. Unsentimental but always honest, he persuades us that life is an incomprehensible, cosmic farce. This translation of twenty tales shows Maupassant at his bitter, bawdy, chilling best. It features some of his grimmest and most famous stories such as A Vendetta and The Grove of Olives, but it also reflects both his moods and his mastery of the short story. The Little Keg is rich in comic invention, while the disturbing Who Can Tell? draws its power from the strange forces which drove its author into madness.
Author: Guy de Maupassant
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Published: 2016-03-31
Total Pages: 229
ISBN-13: 1473360528
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →These early works by Guy de Maupassant were originally published in the 1880's. As a collection of short stories, this represents Maupassant's tales of the Franco-Prussian War, and includes 'Two Little Soldiers', 'The Prisoners', 'The Lancer's Wife', 'Boule de Suif', 'A Coup D'etat', and many other titles. 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.
Author: Guy de Maupassant
Publisher: Good Press
Published: 2024-01-04
Total Pages: 294
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This carefully crafted ebook: "Mademoiselle Fifi and Other Stories - Bilingual Edition (English / French)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Guy de Maupassant (1850 - 1893) was a popular French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents. Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert and his stories are characterized by economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouements (outcomes). Content: Mademoiselle Fifi Ball of Fat / Boule de Suif An Adventure in Paris / Une Aventure Parisienne Madame Baptiste Rust / La Rouille Marroca / Marroca The Log / La Bûche The Relic / La Relique The Bed / Le Lit Am I Insane? / Fou? Words of Love / Mots d'Amour Two Friends / Deux Amis Christmas Eve / Nuit de Noël The Substitute / Le Remplaçant