A Parisian Affair and Other Stories

Maupassant is one of the great short story writers in any language, and this Penguin Classics collection — thirty-three stories in Sian Miles's fluid, readable translation — is among the best English-language introductions to his work. The range is impressive: society comedies, peasant tragedies, military sketches, and the canonical 'The Necklace' alongside pieces less widely anthologized. Miles's scholarly introduction provides useful historical context. Faith-observant readers should go in with clear eyes: several stories deal explicitly with prostitution, adultery, and sexuality, and Maupassant's worldview is naturalistic and often cynical — moral resolution is rarely on offer. This is adult literary fiction for readers ready to engage a 19th-century master on his own terms. For that audience, it is essential.