"'The Book of Nights' is a masterpiece. Germain is endowed with extraordinary narrative and descriptive abilities... She excels in portraits of emotional intensity and the gritty realism of raw emotions gives the novel its unique power." Ziauddin Sardar in The Independent The publication of 'The Book of Nights' made Sylvie Germain an overnight success in France. It has a big story on a wide canvas with unforgettable characters. It will appeal to lovers of Magic Realism and anyone who wants to read something very different which will linger in the imagination long after the book has been finished. AUTHOR: Sylvie Germain was born in Chateauroux in Central France in 1954. She read philosophy at the Sorbonne, being awarded a doctorate. From 1987 until the summer of 1993 she taught philosophy at the French School in Prague. She now lives in Angouleme.