Frustrated and attempting to get his point across, he begins to tell the story of an encounter he had during the Franco-Prussian War. Only as his story continues does it become clear just how shocking this encounter was.



This fast-paced tale is unmissable for fans of Ambrose Bierce.


Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was one of the finest practitioners of the French short story. He was considered a master of both style and dramatic narrative. A representative of the Naturalist school, he wrote 300 short stories during his career - alongside a number of novels, travel books, and a volume of verse. The most notable of his work is considered to be his first short story - ‘Boule de Suif’. His volumes of short stories were heavily influential, with one of them acting as inspiration for John Ford’s ‘Stagecoach’.