Biographical note

Guy de Maupassant (1850-93) was born in Dieppe. Through Gustave Flaubert he met other luminaries of his age, such as Zola, Daudet and Turgenev. His influence on French literature was profound and his writing is of pivotal importance in the historical development of the short story, influencing such writers as Ambrose Bierce, O Henry and Henry James. Isak Dinesen was the nom de plume of Karen Blixen (1885-1962), who was born in Rungsted, Denmark. She studied art in Copenhagen, Paris and Rome before moving to Kenya to live on a farm. In 1934 Dinesen made her literary debut with the publication of Seven Gothic Tales. This was followed in 1937 by Out of Africa, an autobiographical account of her life in Kenya, which was later made into a film.