This somewhat forced moral structure is made up for by Ms de Loo's rich evocation of life in the Budapest ghetto and by her ability, in pared-down prose, to convey Kata's and Stefan's own confusions and anxieties.

ECONOMIST: Novels from the Netherlands

Although ostensibly a moral fable based on the Greek myth of Apollo and Alphisa, its libretto, ascribed to Louis de Cahusac, contains what were then quite radical thoughts about the nature of a woman's right to choose her partner, and the role of the people in deciding on a ruler.

ECONOMIST: The London Proms