In this brilliant new book, the author of Emperor of the Air and Blue River gives us four stunning fictional portraits - unforgettable stories in which moments of revelation illuminate lives.

"Character is fate," wrote Heraclitus. In The Palace Thief we meet people struggling to understand the strange, surprising turns their lives have taken. In "Accountant," a quintessential company man who has always played by the rules becomes obsessed with the phenomenal success of a reckless childhood friend. "Batorsag and Szerelem" tells the story of a boy's fascination with the rebellion and the mysterious life and language of his brother, a math prodigy.

In "City of Broken Hearts," a divorced father tries to fathom the patterns of modern relationships. And in "The Palace Thief," a history teacher at an exclusive boarding school reflects on the vicissitudes of a lifetime connection with a student scoundrel

1. The Palace Thief is a remarkable achievement, a fiction classic, by one of America's finest writers.