Selected Short Stories by Maupassant, Guy de

New York. 1987. Penguin Books. Reprinted Penguin Classic Paperback Edition. Very Good in Slightly Worn Wrappers. 014044243x. Translated from the French & With An Introduction by Roger Colet. 368 pages. paperback. The cover shows a detail from 'After the Bath' by Edgar Degas, in the Louvre, Paris. FROM THE PUBLISHER - Ranging in subject from murder, adultery and war to the simple pleasures of eating and drinking, Maupassant's short stories are his greatest achievements. Before he died in an asylum at the age of forty-two, he had (helped by his friend and mentor, Flaubert) raised the art of story-telling to a pitch rarely equalled. Maupassant's instinctive insight into the vices and passions of 'respectable' men and women is tempered by a sensual appreciation of the good things in life and a robust humour - qualities that resulted in his work being bowdlerized for the English speaking public of the day. The full flavour of his extraordinary talent is represented in this unexpurgated selection, which includes the famous Boule de Suif, the story of a prostitute from Rouen; The Horla, a devastating portrayal of madness; and Mouche, a nostalgic idyll recalling Maupassant's boating days on the Seine. inventory #43792 ISBN: 014044243x.