Audiobooks by Guy de Maupassant

Theatre Royal - The Country of the Blind & Little Louise : Episode 7

Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Laurence Olivier, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Olivier himself. They were based on works by the worlds' leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant, H.G. Wells (Author), Laurence Olivier (Narrator)

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The Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Cathy Dobson (Narrator)

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The Necklace

Madame Mathilde Loisel is sure she was meant to be an aristocrat, but she was born into a middle-class family and married off to a middle-class clerk. When her husband procures them invitations to a high-society party, Loisel goes all out to impress. She borrows a diamond necklace from a wealthy acquaintance and has the time of her life-until the necklace goes missing. In "The Necklace," de Maupassant showcases his signature twists of fate and social commentary in a story that will leave you speechless.

Guy de Maupassant (Author), Andrea Giordani (Narrator)

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The Necklace

A lesson on the power of vanity, “The Necklace” tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband. Mathilde always imagined herself as a socialite with beautiful gowns and wonderful jewels. Her husband, however, is a lowly clerk and the two have little money. Desperate to attend an important party, she borrows a friend’s diamond necklace to match the dress her husband bought for her. But when Mathilde loses the expensive jewels, she nearly destroys her life in an effort to pay back the debt. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Hillary Huber (Narrator)

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The Metamorphosis and Other Stories [With eBook]

Franz Kafka, Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Tom Whitworth (Narrator)

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The Horla

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893), a French author, was one of the most influential short story writers of the 19th century. 'Le Horla' is a truly terrifying story of a man, told through the pages of his diary, who is under the malign influence of some strange, invisible, parasitic being which saps his life energy. De Maupassant's clear, pragmatic language contrasts eerily with the ghastly and macabre narrative and draws the listener into the sheer terror of the situation.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Cathy Dobson (Narrator)

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The Diamond Necklace and Other Stories

Beautifully simple and marvelously strong, the stories of Guy de Maupassant have enchanted generations around the world. One of the finest short story writers of all time, de Maupassant believed that the most heart-wrenching and powerful moments in life lay in the simple events of daily life, and he proved it by turning those moments into timeless stories. In addition to The Diamond Necklace, this collection includes six of de Maupassant's most popular stories: Boule de Suif; The Piece of String; Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse; Mademoiselle Fifi; Miss Harriet; and The Legend of Mont St. Michel.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), George Guidall (Narrator)

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Pierre et Jean

A vague jealousy, one of those dormant jealousies which grow up between brothers or sisters and slowly ripen till they burst, on the occasion of a marriage perhaps, or of some good fortune happening to one of them, kept them on the alert in a sort of brotherly and non-aggressive animosity. They were fond of each other, it is true, but they watched each other. Pierre, five years old when Jean was born, had looked with the eyes of a little petted animal at that other little animal which had suddenly come to lie in his father's and mother's arms and to be loved and fondled by them. Jean, from his birth, had always been a pattern of sweetness, gentleness, and good temper, and Pierre had by degrees begun to chafe at ever-lastingly hearing the praises of this great lad, whose sweetness in his eyes was indolence, whose gentleness was stupidity, and whose kindliness was blindness. His parents, whose dream for their sons was some respectable and undistinguished calling, blamed him for so often changing his mind, for his fits of enthusiasm, his abortive beginnings, and all his ineffectual impulses towards generous ideas and the liberal professions. Since he had grown to manhood they no longer said in so many words: "Look at Jean and follow his example," but every time he heard them say "Jean did this -- Jean does that," he understood their meaning and the hint the words conveyed.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), John McDonough (Narrator)

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Normandy Stories

Maupassant is hailed as one of the greatest masters of the short story. This collection focuses upon the land he knew and loved so well - Normandy. Its people and its countryside are portrayed here in vivid colour and with great warmth. Amusing, saucy, and sometimes even farcical they may be, but they are also capable of great pathos, often branching off to end tragically. It is this skilful and affecting blend of tragedy and comedy, of tears and laughter, which make Maupassant's Normandy Stories the enduring favourites they are today.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Oliver Montgomery (Narrator)

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Maupassant Magic

Possessed of a... voracious sexual appetite, bitter and frequently disillusioned by the history of his country and the foibles of its people is not a description that does justice to the tortured soul that was Guy de Maupassant. He was also a compassionate and deeply patriotic man, volunteering to fight for his country in the Franco-Prussian War at the age of 20 and again saw action reporting on the French campaign in Tunisia in 1881. Unfortunately these irreconcilable internal conflicts eventually led to syphilis, hallucination, attempted suicide, madness and an early death in an asylum at the age of 43-most of which horror was self predicted in ‘The Horla’. During his short life, however, he wrote over 300 short stories-as well as 6 novels and the vast canon of his original and unusual tales placed him at the pinnacle of world literature as the master storyteller. The stories presented here are; A Piece of String The Chairmender The Diamond Necklace The Little Soldiers Two Fishermen Boule de Suif (Fatball) Madame Tellier’s House The Dowry A Coward The Horla My first-but not I hope my last-acquaintance with this eclectic publisher of classic stories packaged, presented and read in an unashamedly old- fashioned three Rs way, i.e. Royal Academy Covers, romantic music, rounded vowels. De Maupassant wrote three novels and more than three hundred stories. These ten represent his range rather than his genius, but if like the desert castaway I could take only one, it would be “Boule de Suif” [Fat Ball] the best short story ever written in any language. Ten refugees from Rouen are fleeing the Prussian occupation of France in 1870- six self styled toffs, two nuns, a communist and a patriotic putain. .Greed, hypocrisy, pride- De Maupassants’ take on human frailty is merciless. And his spare descriptions of the snow covered landscape and its occupants, including a certain young Prussian officer, are simply dazzling. This is magic for sure

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), Peter Joyce (Narrator)

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La Gordinflona (Boule de Suif)

La Gordinflona es la historia de una prostituta francesa. Guy de Maupassant utiliza la imagen de esta mujer como representación del pueblo francés, sin títulos ni dinero, engañados por la clase dirigente, derrotados. Son ellos quienes sufren las verdaderas consecuencias de la guerra. Boule de Suif (o La Gordinflona) nos presenta también la hipocresía de las clases acomodadas de la época, más interesadas en su propio beneficio que en el de Francia. La Gordinflona fue reconocida como una gran obra debido a su detalle y realismo. Boule de Suif is the story of a French prostitute. Guy de Maupassant uses this woman, Boule de Suif, to represent the common people of France, those with no title or money, who were deceived by their leaders, defeated in the war; the people who suffer the true consequences of a war. Boule de Suif also presents the hypocrisy of the rich, more interested in their own benefice than that of France. Boule de Suif is considered a great piece of work due to the detail and realism used by de Maupassant.

Guy De Maupassant, Guy de Maupassant (Author), RUMI Productions LLC (Narrator)

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La belleza inútil

Lejos de ser un audiolibro convencional, este sonolibro, basado en un relato precursor del feminismo, está dramatizado con distintas voces para cada personaje, música y efectos sonoros, proporcionando al oyente una increíble experiencia inmersiva que hace disfrutar aún más, esta historia de Guy de Maupassant."-¡Pobres mujeres!-¿Por qué las compadeces?-¿Por qué? Ponte a pensar un poco, amigo mío. ¡Once años de preñez para una mujer como ésa! ¡Qué infierno! Es la juventud entera, es toda la belleza, son las esperanzas de triunfo, todo el ideal poético de una vida brillante lo que se sacrifica a esa ley odiosa de la reproducción, que convierte a una mujer normal en una simple máquina de hacer hijos.-Y ¿qué le vas a hacer? ¡Es la Naturaleza!"

Guy de Maupassant (Author), Chico García (Narrator)

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