English

17 short stories by Jean-Pierre Martinez

The art of making a long story short…

A short story isn’t just a short novel, it’s a literary genre in its own right, with its own defining characteristics. Specifically, the art of writing short stories requires leading the reader to a surprise ending. An ending that must be unpredictable and therefore startling. As the story unfolds, the reader is enthralled by the suspense and carried by the taught narration to the reveal that they are burning to discover … unaware they were following a red herring to a conclusion that, while unexpected, is always flawlessly logical. But of course! exclaims the reader as they reach the last page of a well-constructed and deftly written short story. It was all there, I would have seen it coming but for the author’s clever storytelling. In this short story collection, Jean-Pierre Martinez, who is also a playwright and a scriptwriter of police television series, demonstrates his mastery of delivering the perfect ending to his audience. In each of these seventeen short stories, he takes the reader into a variety of universes to play with (and against) their expectations – and does so brilliantly.

All rights reserved

DOWNLOAD PDF FOR FREE

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

One marriage out of two ends in divorce… That night, Steven has to tell his in-laws, who idealise him, that he is getting divorced from their daughter, whom he cheated on. It is at that moment that Mabel’s parents announce to the couple that they are giving them their house in Kensington to raise their future children. How to reignite the flame without appearing simply interested in real estate?

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

Seeking to escape the stress of Parisian life, Adam and Eve moved to an old farmhouse where they set up a bed and breakfast, to break the isolation and make ends meet. But their first couple of guests arrive, and they will soon discover that in this little corner of paradise, hell is other people…

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

Hell Is Other Guests…

Alban and Ève have left Paris to settle on an isolated farm, where they open a bed and breakfast. The arrival of their first guests, Jacques and Bernadette, a seemingly perfectly harmless couple of pilgrims, is nevertheless enough to disturb their peace. An object glimpsed inside a bag, a few unlikely stories and some ambiguous behaviour soon begin to arouse suspicion.

The comedy is driven by a strictly mutual mistrust. Alban and Ève watch their guests and interpret the slightest detail as a cause for concern; but Jacques and Bernadette view their hosts in exactly the same way. The two couples thus become distorted reflections of one another: each believes they have detected something strange in the others while remaining blind to the equivalent oddities in themselves. Beneath the conventions of hospitality, marital resentments, prejudices, fantasies and each character’s own little eccentricities gradually come to the surface.

When Jacques and Bernadette reveal themselves to be “mystery guests”, visiting incognito to assess the quality of the hospitality, the balance suddenly shifts: those who were being watched become the observers. Yet far from dispelling suspicion, this explanation keeps the uncertainty alive until the very end as to what is real, invented or simply imagined. Beneath the surface of an exuberant character comedy, Bed and Breakfast thus shows how much our fear of others is fuelled by our own projections. The rural paradise Alban and Ève dreamed of gradually becomes a place where everyone ends up revealing more about themselves than about those they claim to be judging.

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

An aging novelist on the brink of suicide is visited by a young woman who claims to have lost her cat. A visit that will change his life…

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

On New Year’s Eve, a man is on duty at the Forensic Institute. One hour before midnight, a woman appears in front of him, covered only by a sheet. She doesn’t know who she is or where she comes from. And what was shaping up to be a deadly dull New Year’s Eve at the morgue turns out to be full of surprises… A comedy with multiple twists and turns, absurdly romantic and darkly humorous.

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

An aging novelist on the brink of suicide is visited by a young woman who claims to have lost her cat. A visit that will change his life…

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music: Jean-Pierre Martinez

This song may be used as part of a stage production, upon simple request to the author and without any additional fees.
The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

When you abandoned your fiancée a year ago, just days before the wedding, leaving only a post-it note on the refrigerator as an explanation, you better never come back…

A pure sitcom based on highly characterized characters facing an extraordinary situation that will precisely reveal the comedic aspects of each individual’s personality, mainly through their flaws and cowardice.

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

In english

In french

A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Translation by the author

Four passengers who have nothing in common are participating in a tourist trip in space. The cohabitation is going more or less smoothly until the control tower announces to them that due to an oxygen leak, they will have to be evacuated urgently. The problem is: there won’t be enough air for everyone. One of them must sacrifice themselves, otherwise they will all perish. They have one hour to find the one who will show « The Right Stuff ».

This text is available to read for free. However, an authorization is required from the author prior to any public performance, whether by professional or amateur companies. To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works CONTACT FORM

The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.