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Both victims and guilty parties, the female narrators of Zofia Romanowicz’s novels attempt to keep hold of their freedom where they only observe fate. They revolt against the Great Experimenter who observes human life, as an entomologist tortures insects. To escape fate, they look beyond life’s limits, more often before birth than after death; they try to preserve moments through dreams, love, or play, and especially through art. Rivaling the Great Experimenter, the narrators discover that he is not only a cruel scientist, but also a brilliant artist.