Whose Birthday Is It? August 5, 2016

Guy de Maupassant (1850)

Maupassant was a 19th-century French writer considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protégé of Gustave Flaubert, Maupassant wrote with a simplicity, clarity, and objective calm that echoed the style of his mentor. He first gained attention with “Boule de Suif,” or “Ball of Fat,” and eventually published about 300 short stories, many of which are said to be unsurpassed in their genre. More…