Best Guy De Maupassant Short Stories (2025 Updated)

Guy de Maupassant was a French writer who published nearly 300 short stories during his lifetime. He was a master of the short story form, often weaving together intricate and complex narratives in just a few pages of text. His stories are known for their wit, style, and psychological insight. He wrote about a wide range of topics, including love, family, war, and the human experience, often exploring the darker sides of human nature. His stories are considered some of the best examples of the short story form, and many have been adapted for film and television.

Guy de Maupassant was a French author and poet, born in 1850 and most famous for his short stories. He is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. Unfortunately, he suffered from severe mental illness, which is believed to have likely been syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease he likely contracted during his military service in the Franco-Prussian War. Symptoms of his illness included depression, paranoia, and hallucinations, leading to his eventual institutionalization in an insane asylum in 1892, where he died in 1893. His mental illness was likely to have been a major influence on his works, as many of his stories featured dark and fantastical themes, often exploring the darker sides of human nature.

Guy de Maupassant's first short story was "Boule de Suif" (Ball of Fat). Published in 1880, the story is set during the Franco-Prussian War and follows a group of travelers who are stuck in a small inn in a French town. Boule de Suif is a young and pretty woman who is a prostitute, but is also very kind-hearted. The other travelers, who are all of higher social status, pressure Boule de Suif to have sex with a German officer in exchange for their freedom. She eventually agrees and the travelers are able to continue their journey. The story is a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy of the French upper classes and their willingness to sacrifice the interests of a poor woman for their own gain.

Guy de Maupassant was a 19th century French author, known for his short stories. He wrote more than 300 of them, and many of them were acclaimed as masterpieces. His most famous works include “Boule de Suif”, “The Necklace”, “The Horla”, “The Piece of String”, “The Lancer’s Wife”, “Two Friends”, and “Madame Tellier’s Excursion”. His stories often explore themes of love, death, and morality, and are often full of irony and wit. He was also a prolific novelist, with books such as “Bel-Ami”, “Pierre and Jean”, and “Une Vie”. His works have had a lasting influence on literature, and have been adapted for film, television, and radio. His stories capture the essence of French life in the late 19th century, and are still widely read today.