The Constellation of the Hunting Dogs

Pyrenees, 1936. Away from the world stands a small mountain observatory, “Sierra del Campo.” The elderly astronomer Mero and his companions live quietly and reclusively, devoting themselves entirely to watching the sky. But the Spanish Civil War intrudes upon their solitude: the thunder of cannons is heard, reports of fighting in Madrid come over the radio, and then, wounded, a man appears at the threshold—followed by the fascists. And only the stars remain the same—calm and eternal, above the anxieties and fates of people.

The collection also includes other stories by Konstantin Paustovsky (1892–1968): “The Fate of Charles Lonsevile,” “The Lake Front,” “Orest Kiprensky,” “Isaac Levitan,” “Meshcherskaya Side,” “Taras Shevchenko,” “River Overflows.”