BOOKS / Recommended

The Death of Napoleon by Simon Leys, tr. Patricia Clancy, Quartet pounds 12.95. The Emperor returns to Europe to regain his former glory. An inspired short novel which won the Independent Foreign Fiction Award for 1992.

Outerbridge Reach by Robert Stone, Deutsch pounds 14.99. A grand, adventurous novel about a man trying to answer the riddles of existence by getting lost at sea. Interview by Scott Bradfield, 23 May.

The Fugitive by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Penguin pounds 6.99. Remarkable allegory about modern Indonesian history by a banned writer. Review by Ziauddin Sardar 30 May.

Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser, Harvill pounds 16. Strong and sprightly memoirs of wartime Burma. Review by Michael Fathers, 30 June.

Above the River by James Wright, Bloodaxe pounds 9.95. This acute collection is a fine memorial to the late American poet. Review by Lachlan Mackinnon, 11 July.

Wagner: Race and Revolution by Paul Lawrence Rose, Faber pounds 20. A scathing picture of the composer's anti-Semitism. Review by Tim Jackson, 25 July.

Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Fay Greene, Secker & Warburg pounds 9.99. A powerful, tender account of life in the American South. Review by Godfrey Hodgson, 1 August.

The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago tr. Giovanni Pontiero, Harvill pounds 7.99. An enthralling Portuguese drama blending high seriousness with wit and farce. Review by Robert Winder, 7 August.