La main
| First published | October 1953 |
|---|---|
| Type | Short Fiction |
| Length | Short Story |
| Series | La main d'écorché #2 |
Synopsis
This story takes place in Corsica and is narrated by a magistrate. He visits Sir John Rowell, an Englishman settled in the area having fled his homeland. Sir John shows his collection of arms; among them is a mummified hand chained to the wall. He explains that it's the hand of his greatest enemy and is chained to stop it from getting away (the magistrate takes this for a joke). A year later Sir John is found dead, strangled, with the chain broken and the hand missing.
Notes
This is the second version of the story, published in the Le Gaulois, December 23, 1883. Maupassant completely re-wrote his initial tale entitled La main d'écorché, published in 1875 in L'Almanach lorrain de Pont-à -Mousson.
Publications (12)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1953 | Fiction, #1 | OPTA | MAGAZINE | 82 |
| 1967 | Les chefs-d'œuvre du fantastique | Planète | Anthology | 383 |
| 1973 | La France fantastique de Balzac Ă LouĂżs | Marabout | Anthology | 343 |
| 1973 | Contes fantastiques complets | Marabout | Collection | 177 |
| 1976 | Contes fantastiques complets | Marabout | Collection | 177 |
| 1981 | Qui sait ?: et autres histoires étranges | Union générale d'éditions | Collection | 27 |
| January 1983 | Contes fantastiques complets | Marabout | Collection | 177 |
| September 1990 | Contes du jour et de la nuit | Garnier-Flammarion | Collection | 149 |
| April 1991 | Contes du jour et de la nuit | Le Livre de Poche | Collection | 109 |
| January 1996 | Contes fantastiques complets | Marabout | Collection | 177 |
| 2000 | Le Horla: et autres récits fantastiques | Le Livre de Poche | Collection | 122 |
| August 2011 | Le Horla: et autres récits fantastiques | Le Livre de Poche | Collection | 122 |