Guy de Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850 to wealthy parents. His mother was very well-educated and tried to plant her love of literature in her son. She introduced him to her friend, Gustave Flaubert, the greatest French novelist of the nineteenth century – perhaps of all time – who helped him develop his own style of writing. De Maupassant refused to study to become a priest and, in fact, showed antipathy to religion all his life. Instead, he entered government service, but gave this up in 1880, when he published ‘Boule de Suif’ (or ‘Ball of Fat’), a novella that quickly made him famous. From then on, he produced short stories and novels very regularly, sometimes as many as four books a year. His work was extremely popular – ‘Bel Ami’ (‘Beautiful Friend’) was reprinted thirty-seven times in four months in 1885 – and he became a very rich man. Despite his popularity, de Maupassant preferred to live away from the public, although he had many literary friends. After he tried to cut his throat in 1892, he was kept in a mental hospital where he died of the sex disease, syphilis, the following year. De Maupassant is regarded as the father of the modern short story.

Articles by Guy de Maupassant

A Piece of String

Pre-IntermediateFiction

Maupassant, the greatest of all French short story-tellers, here describes a simple habit that has terrible results. A well-known man in a small French town often walks around and sees if there’s anything on the ground he can use. He finds a piece of string, but quickly this small discovery changes his life for the worse (1,350 words).

Alexandre

AdvancedFiction

In this very short story, the French master of the genre tells a charming tale of an old servant, his master (who is an ex-military man) and mistress, who live together in great unhappiness because the retired captain has a very bad temper. Nothing pleases him. Yet, in their own ways, the old lady and her servant are happy. De Maupassant tells us why (1,380 words).

The Necklace

IntermediateFiction

‘The Necklace’ is about a beautiful girl who was born poor wants the best things in life. When she and her husband are invited to a grand party she’s unhappy because she’ll have nothing special to wear so her husband buys her a dress and she borrows a diamond necklace from a friend. But that is when her problems start. (2,265 words)

My Uncle Jules

Upper-IntermediateFiction

A family struggling with poverty places its hopes in an uncle who left his home country many years before. Although he had always been the black sheep of the family, he sends news that he is now a successful businessman and will soon return to make the family rich again. But when they see him… (2,000 words)

An Uncomfortable Bed

Pre-IntermediateFiction

Maupassant did not often write funny stories. France’s greatest short story writer was more interested in love and tragedy than he was in comedy. But this is an exception. Read it and see what you think! (800 words)

Two Friends

IntermediateFiction

Guy de Maupassant was a young man when Prussia (a part of what soon became Germany) attacked and defeated France in a few weeks. This story is one of many he wrote about that war and tells the story of two old fishing friends, who find themselves in deep trouble only because they decided to forget the war and enjoy their hobby for a few hours. (1,735 words)

Revenge

Pre-IntermediateFiction

Guy de Maupassant is France’s greatest writer of short fiction. This powerful story is about an old woman whose son is killed and who promises him that she will get revenge. But how can she? She is old and cannot fight a young murderer. But then she has a terrible and very clever idea (1,200 words).

Discovery

IntermediateFiction

An interesting story for every language student and teacher. A Frenchman who meets and falls in love with an English girl and decides to marry her. Some time later he meets an old friend on a boat full of English tourists and starts complaining about them and his wife. His friend doesn't understand but, as he explains, it’s all because of language! (960 words)