Kate Chopin 
Lilacs and Other Stories 

Before she wrote The Awakening — a powerful novel that has illuminated generations of readers with its strikingly honest and controversial themes of female sexuality and miscegenation–Kate Chopin penned many well-received short stories of Creole and Acadian life. Infused with "local color, " these tales are filled with fascinating characters, idiosyncratic customs, and sometimes shocking details.Reflecting the influences of the French writers Guy de Maupassant and George Sand, "Lilacs" is a heartfelt and simple tale of love, life, and devotion. The compelling work is accompanied by 23 other distinctive tales of southern life, among them "A No-Account Creole" and "Love on the Bon-Dieu, " from Bayou Folk, and "A Matter of Prejudice, " "The Lilies, " and "Dead Men’s Shoes" from A Night in Acadie.