Izabrane novele

Guy de Maupassant’s Izabrane novele offers a varied introduction to the fictional world of one of France’s foremost short-story writers. Through accounts of townspeople, peasants, families and social outsiders, ordinary situations expose the conflict between public morality and private interest, the fragility of love and the power of money and prejudice.

The selection includes Boule de Suif, Simon’s Papa, Moonlight, The Jewels, Two Friends, Miss Harriet, My Uncle Jules and The Umbrella. In Boule de Suif, wartime circumstances expose the hypocrisy of respectable travellers, while Two Friends brings everyday companionship into contact with the tragedy of war. Simon’s Papa explores social judgement and compassion; The Jewels and My Uncle Jules reveal how financial advantage can transform perceptions of those closest to us.

Maupassant’s economical storytelling, precise detail and ironic reversals draw readers swiftly into each situation before challenging their first impressions. Alongside satire and bitterness are tenderness, loneliness and an understanding of human vulnerability. A rewarding collection for readers of French realism and naturalism and anyone who values concentrated, psychologically perceptive fiction.