Seven short stories by Guy de Maupassant… in English. A priest who realises he should let his niece live her life, a married woman who systematically refuses a baron’s advances, a touching love story, an honourable young man who becomes a drunk and dies of delirium tremens, two magical horror stories and the very touching “Boule de suif”, or how money can make you despicable. In English, as this is the first book in the Shakespeare Library’s Year of Reading 2024. A few of Maupassant’s short stories read, while waiting to read them all, slowly, slowly.
“The woman, one of those usually known as a good-time girl, was famous for her premature portliness, which had earned her the nickname Boule de Suif. Small, round as a barrel, fat as butter and with fingers tightly jointed like strings of small sausages, her glowing skin and the enormous bosom which strained under the constraints of her dress as well as her freshness, which was a delight to the eye – made her hugely desirable and much sought after. She had a rosy apple of a face, a peony bud about to burst into bloom. Out of it looked two magnificent dark eyes shaded by thick black lashes. Further down was a charming little mouth complete with invitingly moist lips and tiny, gleaming pearly-white teeth. She was said to possess a variety of other inestimable qualities.”
Contents
Moonlight / Cockcrow / Happiness / Madame Husson’s Rose King / Who Knows ? / The Horla (1986) / Boule de Suif
Original titles : Claire de lune 2 / Un coq chanta / Le bonheur / Le rosier de Mme Husson / Le Horla (1986) / Boule de suif
Translated from French