AutodaFe Author:Elias Canetti, C. V. Wedgwood (Translator) Set in Vienna and Paris, the novel tells the story of Peter Kien, a respected scholar of Chinese studies who maintains a personal library of 25,000 books. After dreaming that the books burned, Peter marries his housekeeper Therese, thinking she will preserve his books should disaster befall him. Therese throws him out of their home, however, and... more » Peter, homeless, enters the underworld of the city. Delusional, he fluctuates between horrifying hallucinations and unspeakable reality. Peter's disintegration finally leads him to set fire to his books and await his death in the flames.« less