Guy de Maupassant didn't just write short stories; he helped invent the form as we know it. 'Cuentos Escogidos' is a hand-picked selection of his best work, and it's a masterclass in getting straight to the point. These aren't sprawling tales. They're focused, intense snapshots of 19th-century French life, often set in Normandy or Paris. Maupassant had a journalist's eye for detail and a psychologist's understanding of human weakness.

The Story

There isn't one single plot. Instead, you get a series of perfectly crafted windows into different lives. You'll meet Mathilde Loisel in 'The Necklace,' a woman whose longing for luxury leads to a devastating mistake. You'll follow the haunting journey of 'The Horla,' where a man becomes convinced an invisible being is slowly possessing him—a story that feels more like a modern horror film than a Victorian relic. In 'Boule de Suif,' a group of respectable citizens reveal their true, ugly colors during a carriage ride with a prostitute. Each story is a self-contained world, built with sharp observation and leading to an ending that often makes you sit back and say, 'Wow.'

Why You Should Read It

I love this book because Maupassant has zero patience for pretense. He cuts through the fancy clothes and polite conversation to show people as they really are: sometimes noble, often selfish, and always complicated. His prose is clean and direct—there's no flowery language to wade through. He sets the scene, introduces the character's flaw or desire, and then lets the consequences play out with brutal efficiency. The themes are timeless: the cost of pride, the hypocrisy of social class, the thin line between sanity and madness. Reading him, you realize how much later writers, from Chekhov to Shirley Jackson, owe him a debt.

Final Verdict

This collection is perfect for anyone who thinks classics can't be thrilling, or for short story lovers who want to visit the source. It's for readers who enjoy psychological tension over action, and who appreciate an ending that sticks with you long after you've closed the book. If you've ever felt trapped by circumstance or judged by society, Maupassant's characters will feel like strangely familiar friends from another century. Just be prepared—these stories don't always have happy endings, but they always tell the truth.