Paul Heyse, the German Nobel laureate of 1910, crafted this collection in the romantic mold of late-nineteth century Italian life. The title story unfolds in the Sabine mountains where a wandering narrator encounters Fra Angelico, a melancholic apothecary who composes sonnets for his lost love, Erminia. She is desired by two men: the fiery Domenico, nicknamed Barbarossa for his red beard, and a Swedish sea captain named Gustavo. What unfolds is a triangle of passion, jealousy, and tragic consequence that feels as ancient as the hills themselves. The surrounding tales continue this exploration of desire complicated by fate, beauty that invites destruction, and the particular loneliness of those who love without being loved in return. Heyse writes with the warm, almost operatic intensity of a world where feeling deeply is both blessing and curse, where a woman's independence can spark war among men. These are stories for readers who surrender to the romance of tragedy.
