Overview

A gorgeous, tender modern classic about the complexities of love, with an introduction from the Booker-winning author John Banville

Stefan Valeriu, a young Romanian student, holidays alone in the Alps, where he soon becomes entangled in romantic relationships with three different women who pass through his guesthouse. We follow Stefan after his return to Paris as he reflects on the women in his life, at times playing the lover, and at others observing shrewdly from the periphery.

Stories and Themes

Women''s four interlinked stories offer nuanced and deeply moving portraits of romantic relationships in all their complexity, from unrequited love and passionate affairs to tepid marriages of convenience. In light, elegant prose, Mihail Sebastian, widely regarded as the greatest Romanian writer of the 20th century, explores longing, otherness, empathy, and regret.

Reviews and Quotes

''His prose is like something Chekov might have written - the same modesty, candour, and subtleness of observation'' Arthur Miller

''I love Sebastian''s courage, his lightness, and his wit'' John Banville

''Sebastian belongs in the pantheon of classic authors'' New Statesman

''A minor masterpiece of voice, mood and emotion'' Irish Times