Myrna Bell Rochester, PhD, has taught at UCLA and Stanford University. She is the author of Easy French Step-by-Step.Deana Smalley, PhD, has taught at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University. She is the coauthor of Cinema for Spanish Conversation.
Henry-Ren�-Albert-Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 in France. He was schooled at a seminary in Yvetot and Le Harve. He fought in the Franco-German War, then held civil service posts with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Public Instruction. He also worked with Gustave Flaubert, who helped him develop his writing talent and introduced him to many literary greats. During his lifetime, he wrote six novels, three travel books, one book of verse, and over 300 short stories. He is considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. His works include The Necklace, A Piece of String, Mademoiselle Fifi, Miss Harriet, My Uncle Jules, Found on a Drowned Man, and The… Wreck. He suffered from mental illness in his later years and attempted suicide on January 2, 1892. He was committed to a private asylum in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893.