Sono's narrator sensitively explores cultural differences, religious faith, science and the question of miracles, and the atrocity of Auschwitz where St. Kolbe offered up his life in exchange for a condemned prisoner. Already described as a "minor classic" ofJapanese literature before it was translated into English, Doak's translation makes available this remarkable work by one of postwar Japan's most talented writers to a broader, international audience.

Translated by: Kevin Doak