Lorand Gaspar, in his mid-seventies, was born in Transylvania, fought and was imprisoned during the second world war, and then made his way to Paris where he trained in medicine. He has spent much of the past fifty years living and working as a doctor in North Africa and the middle east, and has a distinguished record of publication in French, as poet, translator and literary editor. Roger Little and Dedalus are to be congratulated in making available some of his writings in this substantial volume. In the cold light of practicality, I imagine there is certain quixotic quality attached to publishing a book such as this; it is unlikely to "take" with a reading public in any great way, if I can generalise from my own case, - it is not a book I would readily fasten on. And therefore I'm doubly grateful to have had this remarkable book sent my way for review, and can only urge its claims by bringing it to the attention of PIR readership.