The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles

Giorgio Bassani

Into the insular town of 1930s Ferrara, a new doctor arrives. Fadigati is hopeful and modern, and more than anything wants to fit into his new home. But his fresh, appealing appearance soon crumbles when the townsfolk discover his homosexuality, and the young man he pays to be his lover humiliates him p...

The Enchanted Wanderer and Other Stories

Nikolai Leskov

Leskov's short stories exploded the traditions of 19th-century Russian fiction. Innovative in form and playful in language, these 17 tales are peopled by outsized characters that include serfs, princes, military officers, Gypsy girls, wayward monks, horse dealers, nomadic Tartars, and garrulous storytel...

Late in the Day: The classic Sunday Times bestselling novel from the author of Free Love

Tessa Hadley

THE SUNDAY TIMESBESTSELLER Alexandr and Christine and Zachary and Lydia have been close friends since they first met in their twenties. Thirty years later Alex and Christine are spending a leisurely summer evening at home when they receive a call from a distraught Lydia. Zach is dead. In the wake of thi...