Justine

The time is the eve of the World War II.

The place is Alexandria, an Egyptian city that once housed the world's greatest library and whose inhabitants are dedicated to knowledge.

But for the obsessed characters in this mesmerizing novel, their pursuits lead only to bedrooms in which each seeks to know - and possess - the other.

Since it's publication in 1957, Justine has inspired an almost religious devotion among readers and critics alike.