Guy de Maupassant was a master of the short-story genre, producing more than three hundred during his lifetime. These concise stories contain twists and shocking turns, and range from the fantastic and supernatural, with characters descending into madness and their most base desires, to the challenges of marriage and parenthood, and to the broader philosophical ruminations on the nature of regret and what it means to love.

The twenty-eight stories in this collection include "The Horla" (a chilling tale of one man's descent into madness); "The Diary of a Madman" (a respected judge with a dark secret); "The Artist" (a skilled performer seeks revenge on his wife, who happens to be his costar); "The Diamond Necklace" (a poor woman borrows a diamond necklace and disaster strikes); "A Coward" (a man instigates a duel and struggles to face his own fear); "In the Moonlight" (a priest opens his eyes to love in unexpected places); and more.