Isak Dinesen

In this witty classic short story Babette's Feast, a mysterious French housekeeper, who is taken in by two Danish sisters, wins the lottery and as a gesture of gratitude prepares an extravagant and sumptuous feast for a gathering of religious, ascetic, aging villagers and, in doing so, introduces them to the true essence of charity and grace.

Shadows on the Grass includes four stories that shed light on the author's love for both the beauty and wilderness of Africa, and for the African people, their dignity and traditions. Written 30-years after she left Africa, Dinesen's stories have a beautiful way of describing the world around her.

Tells the stories of Lady Ehrengard's affair with an eccentric portrait painter and five people in the past who are caught up in their own peculiar fates.

On the desolate coast of Denmark live Martina and Philippa, the beautiful daughters of a devout clergyman who preaches salvation through self-denial. Both girls sacrifice youthful passion to faith and duty, and even many years after their dather's death, they keep his austere teachings alive among the townspeople. But with the arrival of Babette, a mysterious refugee from France's civil war, life for the sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change....

A wealthy merchant in nineteenth century Macao becomes obsessed with bringing to life an oft-related anecdote about a rich man who gives a poor sailor a small sum of money to impregnate his wife.