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The stories of this unusual novel, constructed with mathematical precision, will accompany its readers for a long time, because the stories are as deep and clear as Bohemian crystal. This comparison is not accidental, because the novel is about Bohemia, about the overt and covert life of Prague in the period of Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia. The historical background of the novel is expertly written. However, the passions and motives that drive the characters are not historical, they are timeless. The motivations that drive the heroes and heroines of the novel have not lost their relevance, so readers are doomed to empathy. Thanks to his talent as a psychologist and his brilliant sense of humour, Leo Perutz has created a world in whose complex twists and turns there is no shortage of self-interest, lowliness, indifference, and absurdity, but the joy of being, art, humanity, friendship, and the miracle of love remain with you.