Anita Brookner is known for her poignant, witty studies of emotionally restrained women navigating loneliness, deception, and desire. ‘Brookner works a spell on the reader; being under it is both an education and a delight.’—The Washington Post Book WorldHotel du Lac won the Booker Prize in 1984 and established Brookner’s international reputation as an intellectual powerhouse with an intimate understanding of the intricacies of human nature. INTRODUCTION BY HERMIONE LEE, who selected the novels for this omnibus and as well as introducing it, making it the perfect companion to her new biography.