John Fowles is one of the most outstanding (and deservedly popular) British writers of the twentieth century, a modern classic of the main caliber, the author of the worldwide bestsellers The Collector and The Magus, The French Lieutenant's Mistress and The Ebony Tower. in each of his creations, unlike his former self, Fowles nevertheless always remains himself - romantic and mysterious, shocking and at the same time alluring with his unbridled eroticism. “Mantissa” is a novel about a novel, a sonorous echo of what has been written and only barely guessable sounds of what will still be written... And the main character is a writer, a creator, whose sensual fantasy creates a special world; Passions are raging within him, from whose captivity he himself cannot escape.