This volume collects two macabre novellas by one of Israel's greatest authors: "The Death of Lysanda," which tells the story of a taxidermist heading steadily into insanity, and "Ants," about an invasion of household insects forcing a doomed marriage into crisis.

"The Death of Lysanda was originally published in Hebrew as Mot Lysanda by Sifriat Poalim Ltd, 1964; This translation first published 1970 by Jonathan Cape; Ants was originally published in Hebrew as [sic] Am Oved, Tel Aviv, 1968; This translation first appeared in The Iowa Review, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Winter, 1980), pp. 10-56.--" Verso of title page.