Nachman of Bratslav, descended from the founder of the Hasidic movement, carved a unique path as a Jewish spiritual leader. Towards the end of his life, he lost his young son, prompting him to turn increasingly inward and seek consolation from the world of the creative imagination.

The result was the thirteen fascinating tales in this collection. A landmark in Jewish literature, they depict a surreal world where princes bleed jewels and princesses sail the seas in men's clothing, leaving destruction in their wake. In a sparkling new translation, Nachman's skewed fables reveal strange and profound depths, prefiguring the modern sensibilities of Gogol and Kafka.