The Shadow Disappears in the Sun By Barbara Frischmuth Translation and Afterword by Nicholas J. Meyerhofer

The work's anonymous protagonist has left her native Vienna and is living in exotic Istanbul, where she resides with Turkish friends while she attempts to better understand the city's present-day culture. Although she speaks rather fluent Turkish, has conducted extensive research on the cultural history of her adopted country, she discovers that she is not completely accepted by her hosts or their society. Despite this seeming failure, the narrator returns to her native city richer for the attempt at cultural integration, and more secure in her self-identity. She has now moved from the shadow of romantic idealism to a more realistic realm, one illuminated by the light of reason and realism.