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AlexBell · 10-11-2016, 02:13 AM

I'm preparing Twenty-three Tales by Leo Tolstoy for the MR library. Two of the short stories are Tolstoy's adaptation of stories by French authors. One of them, 'The Coffee-House of Surat', is very likely based on a story of the same name by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The other story, 'Too Dear', is said to be based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant, but I can't work out which of his 300 or so short stories it might be. Can anyone help?

Tolstoy's satirical short story is set in Monaco, and deals with a young man who is sentenced to death. Because the principality of Monaco does not have a guillotine the authorities ask the French to put him to death, but are not willing to pay the price the French ask. And they find that the cost of keeping him in prison for life is too much. So they set him free on a pension. Does that seem familiar?

10-11-2016, 02:13 AM	#1
AlexBell Wizard Posts: 3,413 Karma: 13369310 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Launceston, Tasmania Device: Sony PRS T3, Kobo Glo, Kindle Touch, iPad, Samsung SB 2 tablet	Maupassant/Tolstoy short story I'm preparing Twenty-three Tales by Leo Tolstoy for the MR library. Two of the short stories are Tolstoy's adaptation of stories by French authors. One of them, 'The Coffee-House of Surat', is very likely based on a story of the same name by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The other story, 'Too Dear', is said to be based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant, but I can't work out which of his 300 or so short stories it might be. Can anyone help? Tolstoy's satirical short story is set in Monaco, and deals with a young man who is sentenced to death. Because the principality of Monaco does not have a guillotine the authorities ask the French to put him to death, but are not willing to pay the price the French ask. And they find that the cost of keeping him in prison for life is too much. So they set him free on a pension. Does that seem familiar?