“Two Friends,” by French short story maestro Guy de Maupassant, is a melancholic story about loyalty in which the characters Sauvage and Morissot share far more than a passion for fishing during wartime.

De Maupassant is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story as well as one of its finest practitioners. His prolific and deeply admired body of work influenced a great number of writers including William Somerset Maugham, O. Henry, Anton Chekhov, Kate Chopin and Henry James. He was a popular writer during his lifetime and had the good fortune to see that his stories were widely read.

“Boule de Suif” or “Ball of Fat” is arguably considered Guy de Maupassant's finest short story. It's a bit long for the short story form, but its length is justified by Maupassant's mastery and the treatment of his high society targets. You can find it here on Just Listen in the coming weeks.

And now, “Two Friends,” by Guy de Maupassant…we begin….