
THE SISTERS RONDOLI - I
MY LANDLADY
THE LITTLE CASK
ANDRÉ'S DISEASE
HE?
MY UNCLE SOSTHÈNE
THE ACCURSED BREAD - I
MADAME LUNEAU'S CASE
A WISE MAN
THE UMBRELLA
A weary traveler narrates his restless yearning for Italy, cataloguing every inconvenience of the journey—from cramped train cars to the unsettling anonymity of hotel rooms. His monologue veers from comic complaints about uncomfortable beds to sharp, almost philosophical ruminations on loneliness and the fleeting nature of human connections in foreign cities. As he convinces a friend to join him, the stage is set for a vivid, bittersweet exploration of desire, expectation, and the oddly tender moments that surface amid the chaos of travel.
The collection continues in a similar vein, offering brief, incisive portraits of everyday people and fleeting encounters that reveal deeper truths about love, ambition, and the absurdities of modern life. Each story balances wry observation with genuine empathy, inviting listeners to recognize the universal longing for meaning in the most ordinary of settings.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (355K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust.)
Release date
2019-08-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1893
Best known as one of the great masters of the short story, he captured ordinary lives with sharp realism, dark humor, and an eye for how quickly hope can turn into disappointment. His fiction ranges from social satire to psychological unease, which helps explain why stories like "Boule de Suif" and "The Horla" still feel vivid today.
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