Commissioned to produce his ‘take’ on Swan Lake, the Tchaikovsky ballet for which no fundamental text exists, Helprin modified and extended the story into a surprisingly emotional and profound short epic cycle of ceaselessly alternating triumph and defeat. The world in which this takes place is as extraordinary, hypnotic, and beautiful as that of Winter's Tale. Children and adults are delighted, captivated, and moved, and those who are able may follow as well a Swiftian political and theological subtext. As a splendid and important addition, the richness and beauty of the texts are interpreted by Chris Van Allsburg, the foremost illustrator of our times.

Now out of print, Mark Helprin's three novellas -- Swan Lake, A City in Winter, and The Veil of Snows -- are now available in a single volume, A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy.