A Wedding Gift Maupassant Original Short Stories

iBoo Press House uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work. We preserve the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. All titles are unabridged (100% Original content), designed with a nice cover, quality paper and a large font that's easy to read.

These early works by Guy de Maupassant were originally published in the 1880's. As a collection of short stories, this represents Maupassant's tales of marriage, and includes 'Useless Beauty', 'Monsieur Parent', 'A Wedding Gift', 'The Door', 'A Meeting', and many other titles. Guy de Maupassant was born in 1850 at the Château de Miromesnil, near Dieppe, France. He came from a prosperous family, but when Maupassant was eleven, his mother risked social disgrace by trying to secure a legal separation from her husband. After the split, Maupassant lived with his mother till he was thirteen, and inherited her love of classical literature. In 1880, Maupassant published his first – and, according to many, his best – short story, entitled 'Boule de Suif' ('Ball of Fat'). It was an instant success. He went on to be extremely prolific during the 1880s, working methodically to produce up to four volumes of short fiction every year. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

Over the course of his career, French writer Guy de Maupassant made a number of important contributions to the then-emergent genre of short stories. Today, critics regard him as one of the most accomplished virtuosos of short fiction. This comprehensive collection of Maupassant's short works showcases the writer's unique talents, which include an unvarnished, straightforward style and a mastery of narrative structure.

THE ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAUPASSANT SHORT STORIES "I entered literary life as a meteor, and I shall leave it like a thunderbolt." These words of Maupassant to Jose Maria de Heredia on the occasion of a memorable meeting are, in spite of their morbid solemnity, not an inexact summing up of the brief career during which, for ten years, the writer, by turns undaunted and sorrowful, with the fertility of a master hand-produced poetry, novels, romances and travels, only to sink prematurely into the abyss of madness and death. . . . . This book contains all thirteen volumes of his original short stories. THE ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAUPASSANT SHORT STORIES Over the course of his career, French writer Guy de Maupassant made a number of important contributions to the then-emergent genre of short stories. Today, critics regard him as one of the most accomplished virtuosos of short fiction. This comprehensive collection of Maupassant's short works showcases the writer's unique talents, which include an unvarnished, straightforward style and a mastery of narrative structure. THE ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAUPASSANT SHORT STORIES

INDEX VOLUME I. GUY DE MAUPASSANT BOULE DE SUIF TWO FRIENDS THE LANCER'S WIFE THE PRISONERS TWO LITTLE SOLDIERS FATHER MILON A COUP D'ETAT LIEUTENANT LARE'S MARRIAGE THE HORRIBLE MADAME PARISSE MADEMOISELLE FIFI A DUEL ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 2. VOLUME II. THE COLONEL'S IDEAS MOTHER SAUVAGE EPIPHANY THE MUSTACHE MADAME BAPTISTE THE QUESTION OF LATIN A MEETING THE BLIND MAN INDISCRETION A FAMILY AFFAIR BESIDE SCHOPENHAUER'S CORPSE ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 3. VOLUME III. MISS HARRIET LITTLE LOUISE ROQUE THE DONKEY MOIRON THE DISPENSER OF HOLY WATER A PARRICIDE BERTHA THE PATRON THE DOOR A SALE THE IMPOLITE SEX A WEDDING GIFT THE RELIC "To the Abbe Louis d'Ennemare, at Soissons. ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 4. VOLUME IV. THE MORIBUND THE GAMEKEEPER THE STORY OF A FARM GIRL PART I PART II PART III PART IV PART V THE WRECK It was yesterday, the 31st of December. THEODULE SABOT'S CONFESSION THE WRONG HOUSE THE DIAMOND NECKLACE THE MARQUIS DE FUMEROL THE TRIP OF LE HORLA FAREWELL! THE WOLF THE INN ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 5. VOLUME V. MONSIEUR PARENT QUEEN HORTENSE TIMBUCTOO TOMBSTONES MADEMOISELLE PEARL THE THIEF CLAIR DE LUNE WAITER, A "BOCK" AFTER "My darlings," said the comtesse, "you might go to bed." FORGIVENESS IN THE SPRING A QUEER NIGHT IN PARIS ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 6. VOLUME VI. THAT COSTLY RIDE USELESS BEAUTY I THE FATHER I MY UNCLE SOSTHENES THE BARONESS MOTHER AND SON THE HAND A TRESS OF HAIR ON THE RIVER THE CRIPPLE A STROLL ALEXANDRE THE LOG JULIE ROMAIN THE RONDOLI SISTERS I ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 7. VOLUME VII. THE FALSE GEMS FASCINATION YVETTE SAMORIS "The Comtesse Samoris." A VENDETTA MY TWENTY-FIVE DAYS "THE TERROR" LEGEND OF MONT ST. MICHEL A NEW YEAR'S GIFT FRIEND PATIENCE What became of Leremy?" ABANDONED THE MAISON TELLIER PART II PART III DENIS MY WIFE THE UNKNOWN THE APPARITION ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 8. VOLUME VIII. CLOCHETTE THE KISS THE LEGION OF HONOR THE TEST FOUND ON A DROWNED MAN THE ORPHAN THE BEGGAR He had seen better days, despite his present misery and infirmities. THE RABBIT HIS AVENGER MY UNCLE JULES THE MODEL A VAGABOND THE FISHING HOLE THE SPASM IN THE WOOD MARTINE ALL OVER THE PARROT I THE PIECE OF STRING ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 9. VOLUME IX. TOINE MADAME HUSSON'S "ROSIER" THE ADOPTED SON COWARD OLD MONGILET MOONLIGHT THE FIRST SNOWFALL SUNDAYS OF A BOURGEOIS A RECOLLECTION OUR LETTERS THE LOVE OF LONG AGO FRIEND JOSEPH THE EFFEMINATES OLD AMABLE ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 10. VOLUME X. THE CHRISTENING "Well doctor, a little brandy?" THE FARMER'S WIFE Said the Baron Rene du Treilles to me: THE DEVIL THE SNIPE THE WILL WALTER SCHNAFFS' ADVENTURE AT SEA The following paragraphs recently appeared in the papers: MINUET THE SON THAT PIG OF A MORIN SAINT ANTHONY LASTING LOVE PIERROT A NORMANDY JOKE FATHER MATTHEW ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 11. VOLUME XI. THE UMBRELLA BELHOMME'S BEAST DISCOVERY THE ACCURSED BREAD THE DOWRY THE DIARY OF A MADMAN THE MASK THE PENGUINS' ROCK This is the season for penguins. A FAMILY SUICIDES To Georges Legrand. AN ARTIFICE DREAMS SIMON'S PAPA ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 12. VOLUME XII. THE CHILD A COUNTRY EXCURSION ROSE ROSALIE PRUDENT REGRET A SISTER'S CONFESSION COCO DEAD WOMAN'S SECRET A HUMBLE DRAMA MADEMOISELLE COCOTTE THE CORSICAN BANDIT THE GRAVE ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES, Vol. 13. VOLUME XIII. OLD JUDAS THE LITTLE CASK BOITELLE A WIDOW THE ENGLISHMAN OF ETRETAT MAGNETISM A FATHER'S CONFESSION A MOTHER OF MONSTERS AN UNCOMFORTABLE BED A PORTRAIT THE DRUNKARD THE WARDROBE THE MOUNTAIN POOL A CREMATION MISTI MADAME HERMET THE MAGIC COUCH

A Wedding Gift, A Widow

"I entered literary life as a meteor, and I shall leave it like a thunderbolt." These words of Maupassant to Jose Maria de Heredia on the occasion of a memorable meeting are, in spite of their morbid solemnity, not an inexact summing up of the brief career during which, for ten years, the writer, by turns undaunted and sorrowful, with the fertility of a master hand produced poetry, novels, romances and travels, only to sink prematurely into the abyss of madness and death. . . . . In the month of April, 1880, an article appeared in the "Le Gaulois" announcing the publication of the Soirees de Medan. It was signed by a name as yet unknown: Guy de Maupassant. After a juvenile diatribe against romanticism and a passionate attack on languorous literature, the writer extolled the study of real life, and announced the publication of the new work. It was picturesque and charming. In the quiet of evening, on an island, in the Seine, beneath poplars instead of the Neapolitan cypresses dear to the friends of Boccaccio, amid the continuous murmur of the valley, and no longer to the sound of the Pyrennean streams that murmured a faint accompaniment to the tales of Marguerite's cavaliers, the master and his disciples took turns in narrating some striking or pathetic episode of the war. And the issue, in collaboration, of these tales in one volume, in which the master jostled elbows with his pupils, took on the appearance of a manifesto, the tone of a challenge, or the utterance of a creed. In fact, however, the beginnings had been much more simple, and they had confined themselves, beneath the trees of Medan, to deciding on a general title for the work. Zola had contributed the manuscript of the "Attaque du Moulin," and it was at Maupassant's house that the five young men gave in their contributions. Each one read his story, Maupassant being the last.