Three Tales: A Simple Heart; The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitaller; Herodias (The Heritage Press)

xx, 132 pp. . Translated into English from the original French, translator unattributed, introduction by Guy de Mauppasant, illustrated by May Neama. Includes: A Simple Heart; The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitaller; Herodias. "These three stories are dominated by questions of doubt, love, loneliness, and religious experience-together they confirm Flaubert as a master of the short story. 'A Simple Heart' relates the story of Felicite, an uneducated serving-woman who retains her Catholic faith despite a life of desolation and loss. 'The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator,' inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen cathedral, describes the fate of a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents. The blend of faith and cruelty that dominates this story may also be found in 'Herodias,' a reworking of the tale of Salome and John the Baptist.