The 15 writers featured in this new anthology of French short stories represent the best of the genre, from Merimee to the present day. The selection includes writers as diverse as Balzac, Colette, Duras and Boulanger and is designed to introduce students to both the modern French short story and modern French literature in general.

The anthology covers a wide range of texts and reflects the contribution of women writers. Not only is there a substantial introduction covering the history of the short story, thematic trends, developments in narrative technique and the notion of genre, but each story also comes with its own preface and notes.

The editor's intentions are to enhance students' appreciation and understanding of individual stories at the same time as introducing a variety of critical ideas and perspectives, many of them reflecting recent developments in literary theory.