Novels
Short Stories
A CowardA Dead Woman's Secret
A Duel
A Family
A Father's Confession
A Ghost
A Humble Drama
A Piece of String
A Vagabond
After
An Affair of State
At Sea
Belhomme's Beast
Bellfower
Boule de Suif
Coco
Confessing
Denis
Farewell
Found on a Drowned Man
Friend Patience
Humiliation
In the Wood
Indiscretion
Julie Romain
Madame Parisse
Mademoiselle Fifi
Mademoiselle Pearl
Miss Harriet
Moonlight
My Uncle Jules
Old Mongilet
Suicides
That Pig of a Morin
The Blind Man
The Christening
The Devil
The Diamond Necklace
The Diary of a Madman
The Donkey
The Dowry
The Drunkard
The Effeminates
The Father
The Hairpin
The Hand
The Inn
The Kiss
The Log
The Marquis de Fumerol
The Necklace
The Piece of String
The Umbrella
The Unknown
The Vendetta
The Wreck
Theodule Sabot's Confession
Timbuctoo
Toine
Two Little Soldiers
Useless Beauty
Waiter, a "Bock"
Yvette
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (Aug 5, 1850 - Jul 6, 1893) is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and his work influenced Somerset Maugham, O. Henry, Anton Chekhov and Henry James among others. He was a popular French writer and fought in the Franco-Prussian war as a young man. He drew heavily on that experience and that war provides the setting for many of his stories which often depict the tragedy and suffering of innocent civilians caught in war's path. He also found inspiration in the not-so-admirable behavior of the bourgeoisie and they too are the subject of his biting pessimism.
Maupassant suffered from mental illness in his later years and attempted suicide on January 2nd, 1892. He was committed to a private asylum in Paris and died the following year.
His most famous work for English readers is probably The Necklace. If you are unfamiliar with his works, also consider A Piece of String, Mademoiselle Fifi, Miss Harriet, My Uncle Jules, Found on a Drowned Man and The Wreck as starting points.