The Best Short Stories

I enjoy Guy de Maupassant’s writing, which is why I was excited about finding an edition of his stories in both English and French. This version is only English, with the author’s name and select titles the only actual French in it, which is not what was described. I know there’s a disclaimer for most books that says, “description may be from another edition” or something along those lines, but I specifically looked at different versions of de Maupassant’s works to find one that was bilingual, and that is not what was shipped to me.

Maupassant is an exceptional author. I haven't finished the book yet, but I like the quality of his stories. There are so many French, and well as Italian and Russian authors, each with a different style. He is more enjoyable than most.

Contrary to all silly 19th Century notions of linguistics and Saxon ethnicity, English and French are remarkably similar languages, with over 70% of their vocabularies cognate, and with essentially the same grammar except for the fading conjugations of French. YOU, whoever you are, can learn to read French in a matter of weeks. Note that I didn't say SPEAK French, just read it. If you have Spanish or Italian under your collar, you can read French already but you just don't know it. These seven stories by Guy de Maupassant represent the author's scope and skill. Maupassant is out of fashion, both in the USA and in France, but his Gallic non-judgemental humanism is still worth encountering. You won't be able to follow the French without a few hours of basic grammar, which you can learn at the computer with the appropriate "Transparent Language" software. But once you can struggle through a single paragraph, you'll be staring at a new world of pleasure in reading. Trust me, French literature is even better than you thought it was from translation.

Guy De Maupassant hit a chord and in its delivery he left nothing too far fetched. All of his "stories" were "cloned" from actual everyday common ocurrences. He knew that reality was stranger than fiction, all he had to do was to pass it on, with the well seasoned ingredients of someone that had not ever lived a dull moment. He was from Normandy, my ancestors birthplace in France and I in my puberty gained access to my father's "private library" and the literary works by such an author, using a screwdriver to pick the locks, that is why I had to read the English translations to check on its contents and refresh my memory with those wonderful stories, yet said book is now in the hands of those who's failed to treasure it.

As a language teacher and researcher, I've come to the conclusion that the single best way to learn a foreign language's vocabulary is through these sorts of dual-language texts. The reasons are many, but the ideal to which all second language learners strive is to simply relate new information to old - to learn a new word for a known concept.This book succeeds in that department brilliantly. The translation is wonderful, without being too literal, and without being too prosaic. It captures the essence of the works without sacrificing artistic integrity... and is simply lovely. If you're learning French, buy this.If you're learning English, buy this.

It's a life what Guy De Maupassant describes in his books, that's why they're immortals.Could the prostitute be a patriot? What does respectable member of society and a killer at the same time feel? What's happening when the person's been blinded by passion? What kind of relationship exists between the ton?Maupassant tells us his stories like great psychologist and very talented writer.And don't miss his really powerful novels "Pier and Jan" and "A life"!I like Stendhal, Zola, Balzak and Dumas but Guy De Maupassant is my favourite French writer!