With all the wistful romance of ‘The Remains of the Day,’ (starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson), ‘Alexandre’ tells the story of a servant and his mistress, Madame Marambelle.
Now wheelchair-bound, Madame Marambelle is reliant on Alexandre to get out and about. On one of their sojourns, they discuss her tyrannical husband, with Alexandre telling some uncomfortable home truths.
However, he also has a secret of his own, and now seems as good a time as any to get it out in the open.
A touching short story from one of the fathers of the genre, ‘Alexandre’ is the ideal read for fans of Jojo Moyes ´Me Before You´.
Hailed as one of the pioneers of the modern short story, Henri Ren Albert Guy de Maupassant (1850 — 1893) was born in Dieppe, France. After his parents’ divorce, Maupassant was cared for by his mother who had a passion for literature.
During his secondary education, he was introduced to the acclaimed novelist, Gustave Flaubert, who was to play a prominent part in Maupassant’s literary career.
The Franco-Prussian War saw the author enlist in the Navy, and his experiences influenced many of his books, including ‘Boule de Suif.’ Flaubert was to take him under his wing after the war, introducing him to realist and naturalist authors, such as Émile Zola and Ivan Turgenev.
