The novella and conto, short forms that lend themselves to satire, social comment and the lyric impulse, are at the heart of Portuguese fiction. We can trace the history of the nation and of the Portuguese imagination in these vivid stories.

Professor Pfiglzz and His Strange Companion, and the first volume, The Anarchist Banker, present English readers for the first time with a generous sampling of the best classic and new Portuguese writing. This is a European literature only now receiving the attention and acclaim it merits. From Eça de Queirós to Fernando Pessoa and Irene Lisboa, this anthology of stories in fine new translations will extend readers' maps of modern European literature and open windows on the fascinating Portuguese world.