'Donna Leon has created a beautifully crafted looking glass into her world.' TLS 'To read her is to restore the soul.' THE TIMES 'Leon writes with great literary panache and evocative power.' SPECTATOR Whether walking along the canals of Venice or teaching English to Iranian pilots, interviewing blood diamond dealers or reading Great Expectations , Donna Leon has found inspiration in the strangest of places. In this engaging collection of stories on writing, reading, teaching and Venice, Leon offers new insight into the moments that shaped her into a celebrated, internationally bestselling author. Infused with her ever-present and delightful sense of humour and irony, she is as good a storyteller about herself as she is a chronicler of Guido Brunetti's crime adventures. Readers will be as caught up in her world as she is in his.