«It matters little that Gévaudan and Ireland are the settings where these short dramas are performed. What matters is that with the world countries and languages are made; with chaos, meaning; with the prairies, battlefields; with our commons, proper name ». What better incentive than Michon's own words to introduce readers to the stories collected in this volume; "Winter Mythologies", "The Emperor of the West", "The King of the Forest" and "Abbots" are inhabited by evocative characters, whose vicissitudes take place in exuberant settings. Through his characteristic lyrical prose rich in imagery, the French genius addresses such ecumenical issues as power, death, beauty or art.