Admired as "the greatest French short story writer," and emulated by Somerset Maugham and O. Henry, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a master of plot construction and a keen recorder of life, translating his observations into finely crafted short stories that spoke entire volumes.

This edition features twelve of de Maupassant's best-known stories, each reflecting the author's keen, compassionate insights into human behavior. Presented in a dual-language format with new translations by Stanley Applebaum, the stories—written between 1876 and 1890—represent de Maupassant's major recurring subjects and themes, both tragic and comic. From meditations on the nature of love to jocular stories of friendship and misadventure and tales of irrational, heartfelt anguish, this masterful collection displays the full range of de Maupassant's genius.