One of the masters of the short story' Guardian 'I have to tell you - you see, this is just about the strangest experience I have been through...' These six stories of obsession, secrets, delusions and desires from one of the greatest European writers show individuals caught up in forces beyond their control - whether an art dealer agreeing to a heartbreaking deception, a soldier destroyed by war, a servant infatuated with her employer or a young boy witnessing illicit adult passions. Portraying innocence lost and lives crushed by history, each tale is a psychologically acute, startling human drama. Translated by Jonathan Katz