Simon Leys

The Death of Napoleon

"Ladies and gentlemen, alas! The Emperor is dead." The news goes out across Europe, but in fact Napoleon has not died. By means of an ingenious escape, he has returned to the Continent, leaving an impersonator on St. Helena, and it is this double who has

On the Abolition of All Political Parties

A brilliant woman who was a study in fiercely maintained contradictions, a star student who went to work on a factory line, a Jewish convert to Catholicism who insisted on refusing baptism, Simone Weil is one of the most intransigent and taxing of spiritu

The Hall of Uselessness: Collected Essays

An essential collection of essays from an eminent critic.Simon Leys’ cultural and political commentary has spanned four decades, with no corner of the arts escaping his sharp eye and acerbic wit. The Hall of Uselessness forms the most complete collectio