In the third - and final - part of his autobiographical trilogy, Elias Canetti takes us to Vienna just before the annexation of Austria to Germany, to that cosmopolitan Vienna on the eve of World War II.

It is the time when the author completes his novel "Blindness" and begins to lay the foundations for the famous essay "Crowds and Power"; it is the time of his encounters with great men who will influence and shape his thinking.

With his vivid and sharp gaze, he presents us with Hermann Broch, Robert Musil, Alban Berg, as well as many unknowns from the cafes, literary salons, and artistic studios of the time.

In the language, the faces, and the behavior of the people, Elias Canetti reads the signs of that tumultuous historical period, transporting the reader in a fascinating way.