Philip Hensher

Set in a third-century desert settlement on the fringes of the Roman Empire, a new wife becomes fascinated by a cult that is persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian. In 1922, Christian, a young avant-garde artist, travels to Weimar to explore radical ways of thinking and living at the Bauhaus. And in 1970s London, Duncan uses his inheritance to establish the country’s first gay bookshop in the face of opposition from the neighbours and victimisation by the police.

Delving deep into the human spirit to explore connections between love, sanctity, commitment and virtue, The Emperor Waltz follows men and women trying to change the world through the example of their lives.