The American: Previously Published as A Very Private Gentleman

The locals in the southern Italian town where he lives call him Signor Farfalla-Mr. Butterfly-for he is a discreet gentleman who paints rare butterflies. His life is inconspicuous-mornings spent brushing at a canvas, afternoons idling in the cafes, and evenings talking with his friend, the town priest, over a glass of brandy.

Yet there are other sides to this gentleman's life: Clara, the young student who moonlights in the town bordello, and another woman, who arrives with one hundred thousa...