I n a villa hi g h above F lo r ence a gr oup o f seven women and t h r ee men a r e cocoonin g , seekin g shel t e r fr om t he epidemic , sca r ed b y r epo rt s o f dea t h comin g nea r e r t o t hei r own doo r s t ep b y t he da y .

S ound f amilia r ?

It should, as the above text describes Boccaccio's fourteenth-century masterpiece the Decameron. At once bawdy, witty, tragic and ever-topical, this selection of stories demonstrates how great literature survives a fast-forward to the twenty-first century.

Carlo Gébler has now re-imagined twenty-eight of the original stories, drawing out the essence of the tales in order to let their true genius and wit shine. Over nearly seven hundred years, the Decameron has established itself as a form of literary self-therapy. This is a text for troubled times, which will continue to resonate and provide solace for years, if not decades to come.