Useful both for English and French advanced students, in their search for Literature progress. Stories which are sometimes dramatic, sometimes funny, but always artfully written.

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.

This book is written in French. Since I do not reed this language I am unable to review the book. I am looking for one written in English.You should indicate the language the book is written in before selling. I am giving the book to my local library.

It's not for no reason that The Horla is widely regarded as the best horror story ever told. I advise anyone who contemplates reading this to pour themselves a good stiff gin before turning the pages!

The Horla is written in the style of a diary, and is set in a rural area of northern France, near the medieval city of Rouen. The author of the diary is a rich, reclusive gentleman who wants for nothing, and spends most his time and energy contemplating the great philosophical questions of life. He enjoys the simple pleasures of his existence - such as watching ships whizz along the Seine.

The story begins in a happy mood with the diarist full of life and complety content, but as the days pass by he becomes ill. At first he believes the ailment is physical, but it soon becomes apparent that the illness is mental. As strange things begin to happen around him - which can only be explained rationally by his own actions of which he is not aware - the reader is drawn into the mystery that forms the crux of the plot: is he really mad, or are supernatural forces at work?

Maupassant leaves us guessing all the way, and while initially it looks like a clear-cut case of madness, the diarist contemplates other, more terrifying explanations of the bizarre incidents that seem to take place in his house. The story ends in a shocking climax - which I won't spoil by revealing it here!

What makes The Horla the masterpiece that it is, is that it "works" on so many levels. The entries in the diary reveal that the author is completely clear-headed and lucid, and because he admits the possibility of being mad, this gives his later ideas of the supernatural the credibility they need to make the reader think twice about his condition. The horror builds gradually, and much of it is left unsaid. The reader is forced to employ a lot of imagination.

This a gem of a tale, and no self-respecting connoisseur of horror worth their salt should go without The Horla on their bookshelf!

We have all heard of Stephen King - but check out Guy De Maupassant. The Horla is probably the greatest short horror story ever written. If you like psychological horror and are looking for a new title or author then I strongly advise you to try the stories of Maupassant. Maupassant (who eventually went insane himsef) knows the real terrors that lurk around us...He's been there...
If you want the ultimate collection of his horror fiction then a 'must-buy' is The Divided Self by the same author.

Maupassant wrote in the late 1800s, when Mark Twain and O. Henry were writing humorous and thoughtful short stories in the U.S. In style and quality, he is closer to the simple homilies and narrow scenery of O.Henry than the pointed wit of Twain. And like O.Henry, Maupassant died sick and dissolute in his forties. Maupassant's stories are often set in his native Normandy in northern France and populated with greedy and cunning peasants, whom Maupassant portrays alternately with affection or disdain.

The stories themselves vary enormously in quality, generally the longer ones are better. In "Boule de Suif", "Olive Grove" and "Madame Tellier's Establishment", he has the time and space to patiently and subtly develop themes that paint his characters in hues of real humanity: the prostitute manipulated, the priest with a past, the giddy hookers attending a child's first communion. The lampoon of the rah-rah small-town booster in "Madame Husson's May King" [in the 1995 edition] brings a smile - the character sounds just like someone we've all met, a provincial yokel always over-eager to talk about the glories of his backwater hometown and the "famous" people who grew up there. But the shorter stories in this collection are the weakest. Some are mere trifles that must have popped into Maupassant's head and were then transcribed with no real development. Most are wholly predictable (none of O.Henry's twists) and written in flat workaday prose. Maupassant was a good writer, he penned a few gems, but these stories are not uniformly strong.

Guy de Maupassant is one of those few authors you just love to hate. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he's French, but that's another thing entirely. He's known for his fabulous short stories that can take you from feelings of sadness to joy to downright disgust. His collections of short stories incorporated here see to do exactly that.

Maupassant is one of those authors whose stories take some time to warm up before running smoothly about. Like an old engine, you will feel some cranks here and there, but after some time, everything seems to move smoothly along. His short stories are astounding. He's known for his thought provoking outlook on the french and european culture of his time. You can at times relate to his surroundings with the wars, famine, and greed that surrounds them, an environment that resembles very much modern times. Maupassant's best work has got to be the novella Le Horla, which is not included here. His other short stories just run short from comparing to that one, but that doesn't mean they're bad nonetheless. His writing style is different than other French authors, like Dumas, who favored patriotism above all else and looked at riches before dealing with the peasants. Maupassant look at the latter and how they relate to the former. That realistic approach just shows you that in any age or life we're living in, the rich will always have it for the poor, that life is not fair and if you don't stand up for your right, things not might, but will never go your way.

In his short collection, you capture a glimpse of a literary genius, whose light faded before his time. You feel the anguish of his troubled times, and can't help but wondering that even after centuries, history still keeps repeating itself.

I first encountered Maupassant's work in my early teens, when I had to study a few of his stories for my English class. I remember my teacher saying, "there have been many great short story writers down the years, but only one real genius: Guy de Maupassant".

The great thing about his work is that it's timeless. Although most of them were written over 130 years ago, Maupassant talks of
catching "a cab" on the Champs-Elysee, pavement cafes in fashionable districts of Paris, and even cronyism in the corridors of power! As a fellow reviewer observed, all are full of wit and irony; there's something for everyone here.

And for those who think that Stephen King has the last word on horror writing: I defy anyone to name a story that is as scary as
The Horla.

This really is the world's finest display of the art of the short
story, and I would reccommend it to anyone.

I love the book <>. I first read it in my Advanced Placement French Language/Literature class. After reading this particular English translation - the Penguin version - I was dismayed at the lack of English grammar the translator exhibited. The book has major grammar mistakes in almost every chapter. Some of these mistakes are not too picky either. For example, the subjunctive mood is often tossed aside by the author. I recommend the book to everyone, but please purchase a different translation - he didn't do the best job with this one. Enjoy!

WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED TO HAPPEN IN A FAMILY WHEN ONE OF ITS MEMBERS INHERITS A LARGE SUM OF MONEY? EVERYBODY IS HAPPIER AND BETTER OFF, RIGHT? WRONG! AS WE SEE FROM THIS STORY, THE WHOLE FABRIC OF THE FAMILY CAN BECOME TORN. YET, BY EMPLOYING SOME SUBTLE TACTICS, MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY CAN FIND A WAY TO STAY TOGETHER. AT A BIG PRICE THOUGH, BECAUSE ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY HAS TO HOLD HIMSELF ALOOF IN ORDER TO PRESERVE FAMILY BOUNDS. A VERY DELICATE STUDY OF THE SUBJECT!

This short novel just blew me away with intense and detailed characterzations and a plot that builds tension based on the interaction between the members of a family that is nearly rocked by a seemingly positive development. The two grown brothers are established as near opposites in almost every detail and when one inherits money from an old family acquaintance the reason behind their differences becomes the driving force of the story and it's revelation nearly rips the family apart.
A short novel that will stay with you for some time after reading it.

This story is about two companions Maupassant's "A Corsican Bandit" who wander through nature. Forests, fields, valleys and landscapes. Pine trees, untangled Yet one another short story by this great trunks, umbrella pines, misshapen author. And the way he describes this one is trees, granite. even more gruesome than the last. They walk past a little wooden "A Corsican Bandit" is nearly a horror story cross and one of the men asks the describing very dramtic events... other to tell him about its The story takes place in a petrified valley origin. with beautiful surroundings. So the other man starts telling a story about a bandit named Sainte "Up on the two narrow peaks which dominate Lucie. this pass, a few old misshapen trees seemed Sainte Lucie was apparently a weak to have made their way with difficulty, like and spineless boy, with very little scouts sent on ahead of the huge dense mass strength of character. of trees behind them. We turned round and One day his father had been killed Saw the whole forest stretched out beneath by a young man in the vecinity. us, like an enormous green bowl with edges Sainte Lucie knew he was supposed made of sheer rock that seemed to touch the sky." to avenge his father, but couldn't find the courage to do so, until one day, the When it comes to Sainte Lucie, we same man provocatively, newly married, have a bit more information. drove past his house. Because of the fact that one of the Overwhelmed by a unfamiliar feeling, companions told a story about him. Sainte Lucie set out to kill him.... and did. From then on he continued his avenge, and killed and terrorised a large number of people who had been connected to his fathers murder.

___________________________________

It's a straight narrative story. Starts off harmless, descriptive, nature-scene, Ends

I think the message is that the most innocent people can turn out to be what you least expect. That shows in the book when Sainte Lucie threatens one of the wedding guests that he'll shoot his leg, if he takes another step. Knowing Sainte Lucie to be weak and cowardly he says "You woudn't dare!" and sets off, and gets shot. Basically, theres more to people than you think.

The main characters in this "so-called" horror short story are the two companions and of course, Sainte Lucie. This is very interesting, because we hardly know anything about the two friends. We don't know their backround, don't know their hobbies, don't know their selection of clothes, we don't even know their sex! All we know is that they are two companions walking through valleys and mountains, and one of them, according from the information that we have received, seems to be some sort of guide, or atleast a person knowing the forests very well and every story behind them. The other interested.

Once the reader browses through the descriptions of Mapassaunt's life and philosophies in the roman numbered pages begining this title, he or she knows that the following stories are going to be quite dark. They are and they are also, for the most part, vividly descriptive, intriguing, full of symbolism and extremely memorable. From the incendiary betrayals of "Monseiur Parent" and "the Dowry" to gruesome consequences of moral lapses seen in "At Sea" and "the Model" to outride incredible savagery of "A Vendetta" and the title story, this book proves that Maupassant is a master of all things dark, pessimistic and brutal.

I loved this book so, it was one of those times it was heartbreaking to come to the end. Each story was a nice short gem, perfect to enjoy in a sitting.

A story of a typical 19th C. woman in rural France. While the story seems true to the actual experiance of woman, it is the truthfulness of the story which makes it balnd. However, a good read for some insight on these women.

The first time I read this novel, I thought that the naturalism was bored, because there was no elan vital like Stendhal's novels. Twenty years later, I have now re-estimated it. It has no fantasy and little romance, but some important reality.

This is a story of a woman living as a falling aristocratic landowner in some French country. It may be supposed that if readers don't have the exotics against the past French country, they cannot find any significance of this novel. It is, however, not the case. While talking a woman or looking at her gestures, suddenly I have remembered some plots of this novel to find their resemblance. At the same time I have begun to wonder if she is strongly responsible and doesn't believe in love and give up almost all trivial pleasures.

The boredom of the naturalism at my adolescence has gradually turned out its applause, as I have experienced much. This novel doesn't make readers happy, but widens their ability to understand women, in particular, rural and naive girls.

Although the importance of this novel is hard to see, it should be evaluated fairly.

'Two Friends' is one of the most sympathetic yet cruel stories Guy de Maupassant ever wrote. It is sympathetic in the portrait of the two heroes, a pair of idle bourgeoises who spend their Sundays fishing in Colombes, away, as one character says, from the boulevard, in perfect sympathy with each other. Such an idyll seems destroyed by the Franco-Prussian war, with Paris besieged, and the surrounding countryside deserted; but a chance meeting decides the somewhat inebriated friends on braving their pastoral in the midst of all the fear, hatred and carnage. The story is sympathetic in its portrait of nature, the sunset spectacle ominously bleeding the river; the vast empty paysage our fearful heroes cross, crouching behind vineyards. It is cruel in exposing the fragility of such bourgeois comfort and short-sightedness, which is really recklessness and desire; in the violent intrusion of war; in the clash between archetypal Frenchness (and the first half reads like a particularly sunny Raymond Queneau novel) and its feared opposite, the German; in the inevitable mechanics of a narrative that moves from the amiably inconsequential to the shocking. Maupassant's prose is as compellingly flat as ever, describing happiness and horror in the same uncluttered monotone.

This book is about a woman who is married to a cold businessman. He doesn't have time to love her and be dedicated to her. During the book the woman falls in love with a young man. She experiences love for the first time in her life. She gets sensual but also pregnant by him. Later, when she meets him again, but she is pregnant, he ignores her and his baby. He becomes cold and stops loving her. The story takes place in France in the 19th century. In the book there are also other characters who are involved, but none of them knows about the steamy passion between the two young lovers.

If I hadn't been forced to read this book for my French course, it is likely I would have enjoyed my first reading a lot more (although if I had bought it sooner I probably would not have had to stay up all night in order to finish it on time). But at any rate, I have to admit it is a pretty good novel. There is a love story, well several loves stories actually, and all of them are rather harsh and cynical. Maupassant did not believe in love, and you can tell from "Mont-Oriol". But there is more to this novel than a mere love story. It is also a great satire of doctors and medical science. The action takes place in a spa in the nineteenth century. Throughout the story, we come across half-a-dozen doctors, all hilariously portrayed and stereotyped: there's the old-fashioned one, the hyper-modern one, the religious one, the Don Juan, etc. There are descriptions of "breakthrough" medical techniques of that time, such as auto-gymnastics, in which machines make your limbs move for you, so that you don't have to rely on your will-power. True anecdote, too! Also, I read the book in French, and I have to admit I do like Maupassant's style. It's very fluid and easy to read, surprisingly modern, very cynical and downright mean sometimes, but also containing very touching and beautiful passages. All in all, I definetely recommend it.