I really did think Borges unique in a genius that allowed him, in his nonfictions, to select a tidbit from a superannuated encyclopedia, extract an incident from the most obscure chronicle-or, conversely, from the collective media memory of widely disseminated, easily recognizable historical caricatures-and, with a certain pace of retelling, a special pattern of emphasis, fashion a spare fable full of spectral images and unsettling suggestions. But Yourcenar's fantastic story-telling is so captivating and her essays thoroughly informative that my ignorance wasn't as much a hindrance as I thought it would be. With the exception of having read one of Thomas Mann's books (Buddenbrooks), I had little to no knowledge about the subjects of the collection. There's more enthusiasm with the literary essays and gives great insights on the writers (Selma Lagerlöf, C. The essays on Historia Augusta, the Château de Chenonceau and C.P. With the historical essays I found that Yourcenar writes of historical figures and events with a certain coolness, and by this I mean to say that she's not so cold as to be distant and completely removed from them but also not so warm as to romanticize and idolize, a wonderful balance.

A wide range of subjects are discussed in the collection, with the focus being history and artists. A brilliant collection of essays and they were just as fine writing as the novels that I have read by the writer.

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