Parisian Affair and Other Stories

A collection of the author's most characteristic stories portrays life in nineteenth-century France, in an anthology that includes the title story, "The Jewels," "At Sea," "Encounter," and "Boule de Suif," among others. Reprint.
Set in the nouveau riche Paris of society women, prostitutes and playboys, in the Normandy countryside and on the French Riviera where Maupassant lived, the thirty-three contes in this new selection are among the most darkly humorous and brilliant short stories in French literature. They focus on the complexity of close relationships between lovers, as in the poignant fantasy 'A Parisian Affair' or the touchingly ironical 'The Jewels'; between siblings, as in 'At Sea'; and between former partners, as in 'Encounter'. They reveal two sides of human nature: its grace and generosity and also, as in 'Boule de Suif', its greed and hypocrisy. Piquant and varied, Maupassant's stories lay humanity bare with deft wit and devastating honesty.Sian Miles's translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Maupassant's stories as a reflection of the rapidly changing values and beliefs of his society. This new selection also contains a chronology, notes and suggestions for further reading.

Set in the Paris of society women, prostitutes and small-minded bourgeousie, and the isolated villages of rural Normandy that de Maupassant knew as a child, the thirty-three tales in this volume are among the most darkly humorous and brilliant short stories in nineteenth-century literature. They focus on the relationships between men and women, as in the poignant fantasy of 'A Parisian Affair', 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. Maupassant's stories repeatedly lay humanity bare with deft wit and devastating honesty.