The Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Volume 1 Audiobook By Guy de Maupassant cover art

The Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Volume 1

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Volume 1

By: Guy de Maupassant
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $11.20

Buy for $11.20

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
Guy de Maupassant, (1850 - 1893), a native of Normandy, wrote in a bold and vigorous style that moves inexorably along clear plot lines. He had an astonishing capacity for creating believable characters, and he wasted little ink in putting his stories in motion. Maupassant was a master of "le mot juste", waiting until the perfect word came to him before setting his thoughts to paper. He was one of the first truly modern writers, and today his stories still resonate with enthusiasm and originality.

  • In "Boule de Suif", set during the Franco-Prussian war, a group of French citizens attempt to flee Paris, but are detained in a small town unexpectedly by a Prussian officer who is attracted to Boule de Suif, a woman of ill repute. The attraction is not mutual and the Prussian obstinately keeps everyone at the inn. The basic instincts of clergy, middle class, and aristocrat are forced into the open as they plot their escape.
  • In "At Sea", two brothers become entangled with the elements and greed aboard a fishing vessel.
  • In "An Old Man", a self-centered old man carefully keeps tab of how other residents at his retirement home die.
  • In "The Piece of String", when suspicion falls on a villager, he discovers that reputation weighs more heavily than fact.
  • "Rust" is a very amusing tale of a hunter who falls in love only to discover a certain problem.
©1999 Audio Connoisseur (P)1999 Audio Connoisseur Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fiction Short Stories

Listeners also enjoyed...
Classic Russian Short Stories, Volume 1 Audiobook By Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky cover art
Classic Russian Short Stories, Volume 1 By: Alexander Pushkin, and others
The Entire Original Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant Audiobook By Guy de Maupassant cover art
The Entire Original Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant By: Guy de Maupassant
Classic French Short Stories, Volume 1 Audiobook By Anatole France, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Guy de Maupassant cover art
Classic French Short Stories, Volume 1 By: Anatole France, and others
The Summing Up Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art
The Summing Up By: W. Somerset Maugham
The Complete Short Stories, Volume One Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art
The Complete Short Stories, Volume One By: W. Somerset Maugham
A Farewell to Arms Audiobook By Ernest Hemingway cover art
A Farewell to Arms By: Ernest Hemingway
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories Audiobook By Ernest Hemingway cover art
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories By: Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises Audiobook By Ernest Hemingway, Colm Toibin cover art
The Sun Also Rises By: Ernest Hemingway, and others
David Copperfield Audiobook By Charles Dickens cover art
David Copperfield By: Charles Dickens
The Plague Audiobook By Albert Camus cover art
The Plague By: Albert Camus
O. Henry: Complete Short Stories Collection Audiobook By O. Henry, William Sydney Porter cover art
O. Henry: Complete Short Stories Collection By: O. Henry, and others
Of Human Bondage Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art
Of Human Bondage By: W. Somerset Maugham
Classic American Short Stories, Volume 3 Audiobook By Mark Twain, Katherine Porter, Henry James, James Thurber, O. Henry, Ring Lardner, Sherwood Anderson, Shirley Jackson, Stephen Crane, Nathaniel Hawthorne cover art
Classic American Short Stories, Volume 3 By: Mark Twain, and others
Complete Short Stories, Volume Two Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art
Complete Short Stories, Volume Two By: W. Somerset Maugham
Complete Short Stories, Volume 3 Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art
Complete Short Stories, Volume 3 By: W. Somerset Maugham

Critic reviews

"The one long story and four short ones...perfectly illustrate Maupassant's lyrical yet somber view of life as a morality play in which virtue seldom triumphs. Charlton Griffin brings a classically trained voice to the readings. His rhythm conveys the varying emotional atmospheres beautifully, and each character has a distinct voice." (AudioFile)
Most relevant  
Hollywood would be well advised to create a new Oscar category: audio books. I might even begin to watch the Academy Awards show again if there were a chance to see Charlton Griffin hugging one of them golden statues. It might give the by now somewhat weary spectacle what it so badly needs - a touch of class.
Anthony Pour

An Oscar for audio books!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have heard these stories by other narrators in Audible. It is like never having heard them before and so is a delightful re-fill of a master writer. Charlton Griffin has his own unique twist which I enjoy.

Enjoying Re-reads With Different Narrators

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved these quirky little stories. They are beautifully written, and full of irony. Sometimes they are funny, and sometimes they are sad. Both types teach great lessons. I have to admit I started this book over the moment I finished it the first time--it is short. I'm glad I did because I understood the meaning of the stories so much better the second time. I have volume 4 waiting for me, and I hope to fill in eventually with volumes 2 and 3. What a great find!

Charlton Griffin is, of course, one of the best narrators of all time.

A great find!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Who are the incontinent producers who can't resist spoiling an excellent narration with background music? This fine reading of The Stories of Guy de Maupssant was spoiled for me by the unnecessary, unsuitable and highly disttracting music grinding away. Why can't we have honest straight-forward narration by fine narrators without some egotistical "producer" sticking their incompetent fist in?

Stupid! Music blaring along through the narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrator often uses silly voices. There is musical accompaniment at many crucial points.

The stories included are:

Boule de Suif
The Piece of String
At Sea
An Old Man

With musical accompaniment

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.