Barbara Frischmuth, among the most widely recognized and respected Austrian writers today, is recognized not only for her descriptive skill, but also for being a moderate feminist. In these four short tales she presents realistic portraits of women caught up in relationships determined largely by social conventions, internalized roles, and sometimes just plain bad luck. Taking her title from Ecclesiastes "All is vanity and a chasing after the wind" she presents psychologically sound studies of women protagonists' futile efforts to break out of the deadend situations, in which they have been trapped.

Contents: Let it Be; Tree of the Forgotten Dog; Chasing after the Wind; Bad Timing