A Piece of String

Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a popular nineteenth-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form’s finest exponents. A protégé of Flaubert, his stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouement. Many of the stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s, and several describe the futility of war and the innocent civilians who, caught in the conflict, emerge changed. He authored some three hundred short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse.

Cornelius Garrett has spent many years in theater, film, television, and radio—from the RSC to the Bristol Old Vic, and from James Bond to four years on the television soap Gems. His radio work has included leading roles in many of the BBC’s classic serials and Afternoon Theatre productions.