Hunger

A drama of passion and privation unfolds in this extraordinary novel, acclaimed at once for its gemlike prose and its hypnotic intensity. A scientist, a lover of life, a man of powerful sensual appetites, unexpectedly finds himself tested in the crucible of history. In a city under siege, nearly wrung of life and hope, he is faced with a life-or-death choice - an occasion for him to betray not only the woman he loves but also the principles he holds most dear. Leningrad during the German siege is the back drop of this tragic portrait of survival.