Friedl Benedikt was not only a courageous woman and a scintillating author; she was also vivacious, energetic, curious and determined. Elias Canetti described the young woman, whom he met in Vienna in 1936, as »a born storyteller.« Until her early death in 1953, he was her teacher, lover and soulmate whom he urged to »write every day.«
She followed his advice, also in London, where they were both forced into emigration by Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria. In England, she published three novels under the pseudonym Anna Sebastian, but her best work was found among Canetti’s estate and is published here for the first time: a testimony of encounters with friends and strangers, street and pub scenes, trips through post-war Europe, and love stories. A remarkable discovery.