ARTHUR SCHNITZLER is the perfect Vienese, just as Anatole France is the perfect Parisian. Like the Frenchman, he is an intellectual aristocrat, a man of the world, a detached, semi-cynical observer of life, which he records in choice, pure language, with exquisite art and with flawless taste.

Schnitzler is at his best in his plays. His one act pieces are cameos, pure gems of art, yet faithful reproductions of life. Those included in this volume, "ANATOL," "LIVING HOURS," a series of four one act plays, and "THE GREEN COCKATOO," are considered his masterpieces.