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Guy de Maupassant: Fear (First Version)

“Fear” (La Peur) is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, whose first version was published in October 1882 in Le Gaulois. Aboard a ship sailing the Mediterranean, a group of passengers discusses the nature of fear. A mysterious traveler challenges the common understanding, defining true terror as a sensation that rends the soul—something quite different from mere anxiety in the face of danger. To illustrate his point, the man recounts two chilling experiences from his own life: one in the African desert and another in a French forest. These tales, tense and haunting, offer a disturbing reflection on fear and its effects on the human psyche.

Guy de Maupassant: The Inn

“The Inn” (L’auberge) is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, first published on September 1, 1886, in the magazine Les Lettres et les Arts. Set in the Swiss Alps, it tells the story of Ulrich Kunsi and Gaspard Han, two mountain guides who become isolated during the winter in a remote lodge, tasked with watching over it until spring. Surrounded by a hostile, silent landscape—snow blocking every access and solitude as their only companion—the men face prolonged confinement, boredom, fear, and an invisible threat that gradually closes in on them, enveloping them in an atmosphere of mounting psychological tension.

Émile Zola: Simplice

“Simplice” is a fantastic tale by Émile Zola, first published in 1864 in the collection Contes à Ninon. It tells the story of a naïve and misunderstood prince, son of a brutal king and a vain queen. From a young age, he shows a nature different from those around him: compassionate in war and indifferent to the excesses of the court. His kindness, mistaken for foolishness by those who surround him, distances him from royal expectations and leads him toward nature and its creatures, a refuge where his sensitivity can unfold without fear or reproach.

Guy de Maupassant: Father Milon

“Father Milon” (Le Père Milon) is a short story by Guy de Maupassant published on May 22, 1883, in the newspaper Le Gaulois. Set during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it tells the story of an elderly Norman peasant who lives with his family on a farm occupied by German troops. In the midst of the sweltering rural summer, the apparent calm of the surroundings contrasts with the growing tension among the inhabitants due to a series of mysterious murders in the area. The story begins with a military interrogation that leads to the revelation of a dark secret involving the older man.

Émile Zola: The Paradise of Cats

The Paradise of Cats (Le paradis des chats) is a short story by Émile Zola published in 1874 in Nouveaux Contes à Ninon. It tells the story of a cat who experiences an identity crisis. Raised in the comfort and luxury of a home, where he is spoiled with plenty of food and a warm place to sleep, the cat feels dissatisfied and longs to experience the freedom and adventures of the outside world, idealizing the life of stray cats. However, he soon discovers that not everything on the street is as he thought.

Guy de Maupassant: The Apparition

The Apparition is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, published in Le Gaulois on April 4, 1883. It tells the disturbing experience of an elderly marquis who, at a social gathering, decides to share an event that has tormented him for more than fifty years. In his youth, an old friend asks him to retrieve some documents from his former home. On arrival, the marquis finds an atmosphere of abandonment and a gloomy environment that will be the setting for a terrifying experience that will leave an indelible mark of fear.