FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED AND A WOMAN LOOKING AT MEN LOOKING AT WOMEN''A luminous collection of mind-expanding pieces on literary and philosophical themes'' Observer''Thoughtful and sensuous''Daily TelegraphThis illuminating collection brings together Siri Hustvedt''s earliest essays, exploring the themes that have preoccupied her writing throughout her career: memory and imagination, psychology and art, love and desire. Drawing on her personal experience - as daughter, sister, mother and wife; student, teacher, reader and writer - she illustrates fundamental aspects of our lives.Wise, honest and fiercely intelligent, this is a book that invites us to look afresh at ourselves and the world we inhabit.''One of the most talented voices in contemporary fiction . . . Hustvedt brings the same visual power, sensuality and intelligence to her collection of essays''Los Angeles Times