The Best French Short Stories

Written by Victor Hugo, Guy de Maupassant and Anatole France

Narrated by Cathy Dobson

An enchanting collection of some of the greatest short stories ever written by notable French authors.

"Zodomirsky’s Duel", by Alexandre Dumas
"Mademoiselle Fifi", by Guy de Maupassant
"The Marquise", by George Sand
"Miss Harriet", by Guy de Maupassant
"The Cord", by Charles Baudelaire
"The Piece of String", by Guy de Maupassant
"The Necklace", by Guy de Maupassant
"An Episode of the Reign of Terror", by Honoré de Balzac
"A Child’s Revenge", by Paul Bourget
"In the Reign of Terror", by Anatole France
"Jeannot and Colin", by Voltaire
"The Mummy’s Foot", by Théophile Gautier
"The Paradise of Cats", by Emile Zolà
"The Shoulders of the Marquise", by Emile Zolà
"Jenny", by Victor Hugo
"The Child with the Bread Shoes", by Théophile Gautier
"The Reverend Father Gaucher's Elixir", by Alphonse Daudet

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Door Consulting
• Release date: Jul 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781467682053

Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a French poet and novelist. Born in Besançon, Hugo was the son of a general who served in the Napoleonic army. Raised on the move, Hugo was taken with his family from one outpost to the next, eventually setting with his mother in Paris in 1803. In 1823, he published his first novel, launching a career that would earn him a reputation as a leading figure of French Romanticism. His Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) was a bestseller throughout Europe, inspiring the French government to restore the legendary cathedral to its former glory. During the reign of King Louis-Philippe, Hugo was elected to the National Assembly of the French Second Republic, where he spoke out against the death penalty and poverty while calling for public education and universal suffrage. Exiled during the rise of Napoleon III, Hugo lived in Guernsey from 1855 to 1870. During this time, he published his literary masterpiece Les Misérables (1862), a historical novel which has been adapted countless times for theater, film, and television. Towards the end of his life, he advocated for republicanism around Europe and across the globe, cementing his reputation as a defender of the people and earning a place at Paris’ Panthéon, where his remains were interred following his death from pneumonia. His final words, written on a note only days before his death, capture the depth of his belief in humanity: “To love is to act.”

Reviews for The Best French Short Stories

[Katsudon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book description missed a title, which I only noticed it cuz it is one of my favourite piece in this book. It’s the second last story ,called “the last lesson” by alphonse Daudet. Absolutely brilliant story in this brilliant collection of short stories. Recommend this book to everyone.