The False Gems & Other Tales of Obsession
About this audiobook
Guy de Maupassant was a master of the short-story genre, producing more than three hundred during his lifetime. These concise stories contain twists and shocking turns, and range from the fantastic and supernatural, with characters descending into madness and their most base desires, to the challenges of marriage and parenthood, and to the broader philosophical ruminations on the nature of regret and what it means to love.
The twenty-eight stories in this collection include “The Horla” (a chilling tale of one man’s descent into madness); “The Diary of a Madman” (a respected judge with a dark secret); “The Artist” (a skilled performer seeks revenge on his wife, who happens to be his costar); “The Diamond Necklace” (a poor woman borrows a diamond necklace and disaster strikes); “A Coward” (a man instigates a duel and struggles to face his own fear); “In the Moonlight” (a priest opens his eyes to love in unexpected places); and more.
About the author
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was an extemely prolific French writer who is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. His stories range in length from one or two pages to a full-length novel. Free from sentimentality or idealism, they expose in minute detail the pretenses and vulgarity of the period's middle class and traditional low-down of the Norman peasants. De Maupassant's style is characterized by a simplicity and directness that is sometimes comic and ironic. His work reflects his interest in the emotional problems of all classes and his passion for women. He also excelled at revealing the hidden sides of people. His first short story, "Ball of Fat," is considered one of his best. He is also the author of "The Necklace," "The House of Madame Tellier," and the novel A Woman's Life.
Paul Boehmer attended his first Shakespearean play while in high school; he knew then that he was destined to become the classically trained actor he is today. Graduating with a master's degree, Paul was cast as Hamlet by the very stage actor who inspired his career path. A nod from the Universe he'd chosen aright! Paul has worked on Broadway and extensively in regional theater. Coinciding with another of his passions, sci-fi, Paul has been cast in various roles in many episodes of Star Trek. Paul's love of literature and learning led him by nature to his work as a narrator for audiobooks, his latest endeavour. Paul is married to the love of his life, Offir, and they live in Los Angeles with their two midnight-rambling tomcats, Dread and David.
Gabrielle de Cuir, an Audie and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills.
Justine Eyre has turned her passion for reading and remarkable facility with accents into her dream career. This classically trained, multilingual actress has narrated well over 400 audiobooks and has been honored to receive a coveted Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. Appearing in leading roles onstage in King Lear and The Crucible, she has also graced the screen in Two and Half Men and Mad Men amongst her many television credits.
Arte Johnson is a popular comedic actor who began his television career in the 1950's. He is best known for his work on the television series Laugh-In, for which he received an Emmy. His audiobook performances include Ben Bova's Mercury, Gabriel Brownstein's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale A Confederacy of Dunces. He has also appeared in a host of television shows, including It's Always Jan, December Bride, The Danny Thomas Show, and Hennesey.
Stefan Rudnicki is an award winning audiobook narrator, director and producer. He was born in Poland and now resides in Studio City, California. He has narrated more than three hundred audiobooks and has participated in over a thousand as a writer, producer, or director. He is a recipient of multiple Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as a Grammy Award, a Bram Stoker Award, and a Ray Bradbury Award. He received AudioFile’s award for 2008 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Along with a cast of other narrators, Rudnicki has read a number of Orson Scott Card's best-selling science fiction novels. He worked extensively with many other science fiction authors, including David Weber and Ben Bova. In reviewing the twentieth anniversary edition audiobook of Card’s Ender's Game, Publishers Weekly stated, "Rudnicki, with his lulling, sonorous voice, does a fine job articulating Ender's inner struggle between the kind, peaceful boy he wants to be and the savage, violent actions he is frequently forced to take." Rudnicki is also a stage actor and director.
Simon Vance is the critically acclaimed narrator of approximately 400 audiobooks, winner of 27 AudioFile Earphones Awards, and a 12-time Audie Award-winner. He won an Audie in 2006 in the category of Science Fiction and was named the 2011 Best Voice in Biography and History and in 2010 Best Voice in Fiction by AudioFile magazine. Vance has been a narrator for the past 25 years, and also worked for many years as a BBC Radio presenter and newsreader in London. Some of his best-selling and most praised audiobook performances include Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies (an Audie award-winner), Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series (all 21 titles), the new productions of Frank Herbert’s original Dune series, and Rob Gifford’s China Road (an AudioFile 2007 Book of the Year). Vance lives near San Francisco with his wife and two sons.
