Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), French novelist and short story writer, was considered to be a master of style, obsessively devoted to finding the right word ("le mot juste"), in every piece of literature he produced. Although Flaubert is remembered for his novels, most notably "Madame Bovary," he took a hiatus from longer pieces near the end of his career to produce a wonderful collection of short stories. Four of these stories are featured in this edition, which includes "A Simple Soul," a story of love and spiritual awakening seen through the simple life of a servant girl, "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller," an Oedipus-like tale that examines fate and the rewards of benevolence, and "Herodias," the retelling of the beheading of John the Baptist. Also included in this edition is "The Dance of Death," a strange and darkly beautiful tale of a man's encounters with Death and Satan.