Rescued from obscurity by students who tracked down the reclusive author at a remote cabin in the Austrian Alps, this collection of alpine fairy tales marks the return of enigmatic writer, Chunhua Luli. The main characters in these stories are wild animals but the tender lessons they impart cut straight to the heart of the human condition. In the titular story, a young fox becomes obsessed with a butterfly, only to learn the hazards of infatuation. Other themes explored include the advantages of unflagging ambition, the importance and impact of beautiful objects, the pursuit of serenity, and the power of positive thinking. Forty years after her remarkable debut, Luli once again reminds us we are all animals, connected by an expansive and ever-changing ecosystem much larger than ourselves.
