Classic French Short

French literature may be said to begin with the ninth century "Song of Roland," and it has since then churned out masterpiece after masterpiece in every century right up to the present. Beginning with Balzac and Dumas in the early part of the nineteenth century and proceeding to Sartre and Camus at the midpoint of the twentieth, the stories in this collection showcase the talents of some of the greatest French masters of the short story.

Throughout Proust's life, nine of his short stories remained unseen - the writer never spoke of them. Why did he choose not to publish them along with the others? One possible answer is that he was developing his themes in preparation for his masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time; another is that the stories were too audacious - too near to life - for the censorious society of the time. In these stories, published here for the first time, we find an intimate picture of a young author full of darkness and melancholy, longing to reveal his true self to the world.

Cette sélection de contes et nouvelles réalistes comprend les récits les plus célèbres et les plus étudiés de Guy de Maupassant.

Geralt. The witcher whose mission is to protect ordinary people from the monsters created with magic. A mutant who has the task of killing unnatural beings. He uses a magical sign, potions and the pride of every witcher - two swords, steel and silver. But what would happen if Geralt lost his weapons?

Enjoy the short stories of three of the greatest writers of French literature, for the first time assembled together in audiobook and narrated in a lively way. Guy de Maupassant was an absolute master of the short story genre, delighting in clever plotting, concise style, and efficient storytelling, which he used to produce stunning pieces in a very condensed format. He produced more than 300 short stories; we selected for you nine of the most bizarre, influent, humorous or plain shocking.

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

Arsène Lupin ? Ce Robin des Bois moderne met son intelligence, sa force physique et son sang-froid au secours de "l'innocence persécutée". Un caractère à la fois séduisant, torturé et mystérieux, lui ont assuré son succès auprès de nombreux lecteurs. Içi sont rassemblées l'intégrale des 36 nouvelles qui mettent en scène le personnage d'Arsène Lupin, encore que parfois il se fasse passer pour un certain Jim Barnett.

"The Fables" of Jean de La Fontaine were issued in several volumes from 1668 to 1694. They are classics of French literature. "The Fables" supply delights to three different ages: the child rejoices in the freshness and vividness of the story, the eager student of literature in the consummate art with which it is told, the experienced man of the world in the subtle reflections on character and life which it conveys. "The Fables" were regarded as providing an excellent education in morals for children, and the first edition was dedicated to the six-year old Dauphin, the Eldest Son of the King.

No one plumbs deeper depths of the psyche than French and Russian authors. This second wide-ranging collection of 19th-century literary masterworks, presented in their entirety, not only entertains, but provides insight into 19th-century mores and the mysteries of human nature.

Qui est cet inconnu capable d'en remontrer au grand Czentovic, le champion mondial des échecs, véritable prodige aussi fruste qu'antipathique ? Peut-on croire, comme il l'affirme, qu'il n'a pas joué depuis plus de vingt ans ? Les circonstances dans lesquelles l'homme a acquis sa science du jeu sont terribles. Elles renvoient aux expérimentations nazies sur les effets de l'isolement absolu, lorsque, aux frontières de la folie, le cerveau humain parvient à déployer ses facultés les plus étranges.

"Herodias" is a short story by Gustave Flaubert, one of the great masters of French literature. It is a reworking of the tale of Salomé and John the Baptist, in which faith and cruelty are blended in a deadly dance culminating in tragedy. A stylistic masterpiece, with orientalist sensuality and an inspired dive into religious fervor, this short story brings the ancient era to the most colorful possible life.

Une mise en scène sonore vous fait vivre 30 Fables de Jean de La Fontaine, dans leurs versions originales, comme si vous y étiez. Laissez le son vous guider…vous allez voir ce que vous allez entendre ! Au-delà d'une simple lecture, l’interprétation des comédiens, les bruitages et la musique originale vous plongent au cœur du texte de ce joyau littéraire. Une expérience sensorielle unique, un voyage dans le monde imaginaire et intemporel des fables. 

Les contes fantastiques de Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) comptent parmi les meilleures du genre en littérature française. Cet extrait de "La Peur" (seconde version) dans lequel l’auteur parle du romancier russe Tourgueniev, s’appliquerait parfaitement à lui-même : "Avec lui, on la sent bien, la peur vague de l’Invisible, la peur de l’inconnu qui est derrière le mur, derrière la porte, derrière la vie apparente. Avec lui, nous sommes brusquement traversés par des lumières douteuses qui éclairent seulement assez pour augmenter notre angoisse."

"Herodias", "Dance of death" and "The Legend of Saint Julian The Hospitalier" : 3 French short stories by Gustave Flaubert. "Herodias" is a reworking of the tale of Salomé and John the Baptist. "Dance of Death" is a prose poem in which Death laments over the cruel task God has given him. "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier" is an inspiring tale of perseverance and humility, one of Flaubert's most touching short stories.

Guy de Maupassant was an absolute master of the short story genre, delighting in clever plotting, concise style, and efficient storytelling, which he used to produce stunning pieces in a very condensed format. Maupassant specialized in realism, with its sharp criticism of lower human nature and society, and fantastic, although his ventures in the supernatural are often used as an implicit symptom of the protagonists' troubled minds - he was absolutely fascinated with psychiatry, which was nascent at the time.

Les contes de la Bécasse sont un recueil de dix-sept nouvelles, où l'auteur met en scène ses contemporains avec humour et férocité.

Gustave Flaubert is one of the major figures of French literature. He was known for his scrupulous devotion to his style, sometimes working for a whole week to achieve a single page; he was made famous by his first novel, Madame Bovary. "A Simple Soul", sometimes translated as "A Simple Heart", is a short story containing a lifetime of human emotions. After her one and only love purportedly marries a well-to-do woman to avoid conscription, the simple servant Félicité picks up work in a widow's house.

"Elle était assise dans une bergère au coin de la cheminée, et ne paraissait pas le moins du monde prendre part à ce qui se passait autour d'elle..."

"The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier" is a short story by French writer Gustave Flaubert, one of the great masters of literary style and aesthetics. Saint Julian is predicted at birth to do great things, but a growing hatred takes root in him, leading him to seek a way to escape a destiny which seems more and more likely to be terrible. "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier" is an inspiring tale of perseverance and humility, one of Flaubert's most touching short stories with a religious theme.

"Dance of Death" is a prose poem in which Death laments over the cruel task God has given him. Engaging in a dialogue with Satan, and later Nero as one of Satan's first minions, Death suggests that of the two of them, Satan has the more enviable lot, as his work will one day be done and he will have rest. "Dance of Death" is impregnated with the spirit of romanticism, which had a powerful hold on the mind of Flaubert at the time of its writing. Its florid prose makes it a very interesting curiosity for the reader wishing to know a younger Flaubert, who would only later become the famous author of Madame Bovary.