Selected by Cynthia Ozick from a dozen books written across more than fifty years, this collection brings together essays and short stories that represent the culmination of her remarkable literary career. The essays include classic pieces examining illustrious writers like Anne Frank, Helen Keller, Dostoevsky, and Kafka, while tackling compelling literary and moral issues and exploring the wellsprings of Ozick's own lifelong engagement with literature. The short stories demonstrate her stylistic brilliance and distinctive interweaving of history and myth through works like "A Hebrew Sibyl," "Dictation," "The Biographer's Hat," and "The Conversion of the Jews."

Why You Should Read?

• Experience the breadth of Ozick's literary genius through carefully selected works spanning over five decades of writing
• Explore penetrating essays on major literary figures and moral questions alongside fiction that masterfully blends history and myth
• Perfect for readers who appreciate sophisticated literary criticism, Jewish-American literature, and intellectually rich short fiction
• Witness Ozick's signature style: stylistic brilliance combined with deep engagement with literature, history, and moral complexity