Bed 29 and Other Stories
by Guy de Maupassant
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Bought on impulse while browsing, this Folio presentation has a subtle beauty and a quality feel with its strong binding. To begin with I was reminded of why I usually avoid short story collections in favour of the novel, but half way through the book and "A Coward" changed my mind. It is a punchy tale, absurd satire, shocking and stimulating. It crystalised my growing appreciation of the earlier stories. The repeated use of a sort of prologue to introduce a protagonist who then recounts his/ her tale became a bit stale after a while, but the descriptive writing culminating in the psychological treatise of "Afterwards" was really interesting. I think the current (goodreads) average rating of 3.8 is about right.
Maupassant wields irony with a heavy hand, much like Hardy, but he is also much more adept with short fiction. Bed 29 is a collection that has some of his very best including the titular story which is shocking and scandalous, even by modern standards.
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Henry-René-Albert-Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 in France. He was schooled at a seminary in Yvetot and Le Harve. He fought in the Franco-German War, then held civil service posts with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Public Instruction. He also worked with Gustave Flaubert, who helped him develop his writing talent and show more introduced him to many literary greats. During his lifetime, he wrote six novels, three travel books, one book of verse, and over 300 short stories. He is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. His works include The Necklace, A Piece of String, Mademoiselle Fifi, Miss Harriet, My Uncle Jules, Found on a Drowned Man, and The Wreck. He suffered from mental illness in his later years and attempted suicide on January 2, 1892. He was committed to a private asylum in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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