Jeanette Winterson's request of many of her best-loved contemporaries was that they "choose an opera, and from its music or its characters, its plot or its libretto, or even a mood evoked, write a story." This specially commissioned collection of comedies, tragedies, and tales of love won or lost is contemporary fiction at its very finest, a book as broad in content as it is deep in atmosphere. The characters are from all walks of life, all parts of the world, and are driven by all motivations. All the stories are rich with emotion and written to inspire. Written for lovers of fiction and opera alike, this anthology includes notes explaining on which opera each story is based, with a brief synopsis and a history of where and when it was first performed. The inside front and back covers feature brand new opera-themed illustrations from Posy Simmonds, the cartoonist whose work includes Gemma Bovary and Tamara Drewe.