Primo Levi was one of the most astonishing voices to emerge from the twentieth century. This landmark selection of his short stories opens up a world of wonder, love, cruelty and curious twists of fate, where nothing is as it seems. In `The Fugitive' an office worker composes the most beautiful poem ever with unforeseen consequences, while `Magic Paint' sees a group of researchers develop a paint that mysteriously protects them from misfortune. `Gladiators' and `The Knall' are chilling explorations of mass violence, and in `The Tranquil Star' a simple story of stargazing becomes a meditation on language, imagination and infinity.