An Official Position (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: W. Somerset Maugham
- First Published: 1937
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The nineteenth or the early twentieth century
- Setting: French Guiana
- Principal Characters: Louis Remire
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Prisoners, Murder or homicide, Revenge, Penal colonies
- Locales: South America, French Guiana
The Story
Louis Remire, convicted of killing his wife, is serving a twelve-year sentence in the remote penal colony of Saint Laurent de Maroni in French Guiana. His is not, however, the miserable existence endured by less fortunate prisoners, for Louis Remire occupies an official position: He is the colony's executioner, a privileged station accorded him not only because of his exemplary behavior toward prison officials but also because of his experience as a police officer in his native Lyons, France. Remire's position brings with it any number of perquisites: He has his own...
[The entire page is 1483 words long]
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