In 1965, ten years after his pardon, his first novel, The Time of Miracles, was published and became an overnight sensation. A set of parables based on the miracles of the New Testament, the book rewrites the story of Jesus from the perspective of Judas (who is obsessed with the idea prophecy must be fulfilled) and from that of the individuals upon whom miracles were performed--without their consent and, in most cases, to their eventual dissatisfaction. Filled with humor and poignancy, The Time of Miracles is a trenchant commentary on the power of ideology in one's life, upon what it means to hold beliefs, and upon the nature of faith.

    Two young men meet by chance in a Polish resort town in the Carpathian Mountains. Intending to spend their vacation relaxing, they find a secluded family-run pension. But the two become embroiled first in a macabre event on the way to the pension, then in the peculiar activities and psychological travails of the family running it. Gombrowicz offers no solution to their predicament.Cosmos is translated here for the first time directly from the Polish by Danuta Borchardt, translator of Ferdydurke.

    These letters are perhaps the closest we can come to an unvarnished, unconscious, "autobiographical" portrait of Henry Millers during these decisive years.

    Exceptional for their range in mood and situation, these four novels are unparalleled exhibitions of a poetic beauty that is uniquely Duras.

    Aside from the brilliant depiction of life at the front, it reveals how members of Stalin's secret police transformed themselves into war heroes and began to resurrect Stalinism, following the War. Understandably, Bykau's novel was res non grata and not published in its entirety until after the demise of the Soviet Union. In this novel, Lieutenant Vasilevich is under orders to escort several German prisoners of war to a collection point in the rear when the ambush occurs. He escapes, but soon finds himself trapped with other wounded men behind his battalion's lines. He eludes death several more times and has to traverse a treacherous, snow-covered minefield to reach the safety of a culvert. There the Germans eventually corner him. Vasilevich's group of wounded men is commanded by Captain Sakhno, a member of the secret police, who suspects everyone of treason and is merciless in risking the lives of the men. He foolishly commands the men to cross the snow-covered mine field and selfishly puts himself at the end of the column. He even orders Katsya, a young nurse caring for the wounded, to lead the men through the field. She dies shortly thereafter when she steps on a mine. Vasilevich miraculously survives the ordeal, yet remains maimed for the rest of his life. He recalls the events of 1944 over and over again, but they well up with particular poignancy in 1965 during the celebration of Victory Day in Miensk. In a crowded hotel he comes face to face with a man that strongly resembles Captain Sakhno, whom he holds responsible for the debacle that cost so many lives. The Stalinist views of the stranger are remarkably similar to the cruel and merciless mindset of Sakhno, even though some twenty years have gone by since the war. Vasilevich argues with the stranger over the latter's arrogant attitude toward the men who fought and died at the front, and the man tries to have Vasilevich arrested for anti-Soviet propaganda. Ironically, it turns out that the stranger had served as a judge on a military tribunal during the war. The immeasurable loss of human life during the war did little to change their attitudes. Indeed, Bykau proved to be prophetic in 1965-the cultural Thaw following Stalin's death in 1953 came to an abrupt end when Leonid Brezhnev took control of the country after Khrushchev's removal.

    But when they did arrive, their orders were to put the “Final Solution” into effect with deliberate speed. Soros, a Jewish lawyer in Budapest, secured fake Christian identities for himself, his wife, and his two sons following the German invasion of Hungary on March 19, 1944. In a narrative reminiscent of the great Primo Levi, Soros recounts his experiences with a beguiling humor, deep humanity, and a wisdom that is humbling. Superbly translated by Humphrey Tonkin, Masquerade is a unique account of how one man managed not only to survive but to retain his integrity, compassion, family unity, and humor by “dancing around death.” Like Klemperer’s Diary of the Nazi Years, this very personal, low-key testament of the Holocaust is a gripping depiction of “normal” daily life under the Nazis—told by a man who triumphed by leading an ordinary life under extraordinary and terrifying circumstances.