Thirty-three tales of the most darkly humorous and brilliant short stories in nineteenth-century literature

Set in the Paris of society women and small-minded bourgeousie, and the isolated villages of rural Normandy that Guy de Maupassant knew as a child, these stories repeatedly lay humanity bare with deft wit and devastating honesty. They focus on the relationships between men and women, between brothers and sisters, and between masters and servants. Through these relationships, Maupassant explores the dualistic nature of the human character and his stories reveal both nobility, civility and generosity, and, in stories such as "At Sea" and "Boule de Suif," vanity, greed and hypocrisy.

Siân Miles's vibrant translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Maupassant's stpries as a reflection of the rapidly changing beliefs of his society. This edition includes the famous story, "The Necklace," as well as a chronology, notes, and suggestions for further reading.

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