What an amazing collection of short stories this is. There are ten stories in all, each based on a moment when history turns on the action of an individual or event. The book I read after 'SS' was 'Chess Story' which is a short story that eased me into his unique style of storytelling, the anticipation, the angst that he conveys so well.

We are told of poor Grouchy’s insistence in sticking to the mandate from Napoleon, attempting to head off the Prussians whilst hearing the cannons of the battlefield in Waterloo in the distance; as Wellington scans the landscape for the imminent arrival of von Blucher and his troops, Napoleon scans in the same direction for Grouchy and his men who surely have heard the cannon and will overturn his instruction and rush to his aid.

Other stories cover how the Marseillaise became the French National Anthem, how Handel revived a flagging career, Lenin’s return to Russia from Switzerland through war-torn Europe and how Mahomet managed to penetrate the fortress that was Byzantium.

But my favourite is the story of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. The description of his despair at discovering Amundsen’s flag already in the ground at the pole, his letter which he requests the next group send back to King Haakon of Norway to confirm the achievement and the perilous return journey, at its heart both treacherous weather and broken spirit are beautifully scripted and moved me to tears.

Some contributors appear a little baffled as to how one can praise the translation of a work while still holding the work itself in low esteem. The point is embodied in the tension that exists between the fluency and rhythm of the prose in the second language (at which Anthea Bell is extremely gifted) and the substance of what is being translated. I’ve read all of the stories in this collection both in German and English, and they’re both top-notch. ( )