The eight "Suicide Stories" were published in the same decade, between 1880 and 1890, initially in the newspapers with which Mopassan collaborated, to be later included in different collections of their own. Their common theme served as the impetus to present them here as a unified entity.

The theme of suicide was something that concerned Mopassan long before he himself attempted to end his life. In these short stories, we will encounter a wide range of suicides as well as the reasons that can lead someone to the desperate act.