Michelene Wandor’s collection of short stories ranges from Biblical to modern, from Renaissance Italy to present day Israel, and from the power of music to its dangers. Her poetic and dramatic skills infuse her stories with vivid voices and haunting characters. Henry VIII and Isabella d’Este enjoy a clandestine encounter; a modern retelling of the Book of Esther liberates the voice of Queen Vashti; today’s musicians encounter the old myths of Orpheus; and the dilemmas of being Jewish are poignantly traced through the European diaspora into the cross-cultural crises of the Middle East.

Michelene Wandor is a poet, playwright, musician and critic, as well as a prolific writer of short stories. Her dramatisation of Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew was staged at the National Theatre. She won an International Emmy for her adaptation of The Belle of Amherst for Thames TV. She teaches creative writing at London Metropolitan University. Her selected poems, Gardens of Eden Revisited, are published by Five Leaves.