Svila - Alessandro Baricco (Silk)

Baricco, the author of two prize-winning novels, spins an enchanting novella as delicate as the silk that fills the story. In the 1860s, Herve Joncour makes four difficult journeys from France to Japan to obtain eggs for breeding silkworms. Japan is closed to the world, but he manages to negotiate with a local baron to obtain the eggs. While there, he notices a young woman who does not have oriental eyes. Though they never address each other, they conduct a secret affair...

Silk has the brilliant colors . . . and the enchantment of a miniature. . . . Vividly erotic. --Newsday

A riveting, lyrical love story, an accomplished historical fiction, a compact, condensed . . . epic about human hearts in crisis. --Alan Cheuse, All Things Considered

A book with language to savor. . . . It seems as guileless as a folk tale but propels a reader with real force. --Denver Post

A heart-breaking love story. . . A stylistic tour de force [and] a literary gem of bewitching power. --The Sunday Times

Dimensions: 16 cm, hard cover, 122 pages, Latin script.