Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a prolific 19th-century French writer, recognised then and now as a master of the short story. Born and raised in rural Normandy, his early literary career in Paris profited from the mentorship of Gustave Flaubert, who introduced him to the naturalist school. Maupassant's work is characterised by a detached, objective style and a focus on the daily lives of the lower and middle classes. In little more than a decade, he produced six novels and more than three hundred short stories. His experiences as a volunteer in the Franco-Prussian war profoundly informed his fictions, which often explore the futility of conflict. Despite prodigious success, his later years were compromised by a tragic decline into mental illness caused by a syphilitic condition. He died in 1893 at the age of 42, in a private clinic in Paris. Will Stone born 1966, is a poet, essayist and literary translator who divides his time between Suffolk and the European continent. His first poetry collection Glaciation (Salt, 2007), won the International Glen Dimplex Award for Poetry in 2008 (Dublin). His translations from French and German include works by Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth, Georg Trakl, Rainer Maria Rilke, Gérard de Nerval, Georg Simmel, Maurice Betz, Guy de Pourtalès, Emile Verhaeren and Georges Rodenbach. His most recent translations were a collection of letters by Rilke from French, Letters around a Garden (Seagull Books, 2024) and Conversations with Rilke, a memoir by the poet's French translator Maurice Betz (Pushkin, 2025).