GUY DE MAUPASSANT
(1850-93) was known for his hugely influential short stories and the vivid realism of his novels. He was born in Normandy and served in the Franco-Prussian War, which would become the subject of some of his best-known stories. Maupassant enjoyed financial and critical success before illness led to his death in an asylum at the age of forty-two.
CATRIONA SETH
is a professor of French literature at Oxford University and a Fellow of All Souls College. She was brought up in Europe and South America and spent most of her working life in France. She is known for her work on French literature and cultural history of the Enlightenment.