In the old Saxon town of Hamelin, a strangerappears with a magical fife. He promises to ridthe town of its rats for the sum of 100 Rhine Ducats. When its desperate citizens agree to hire his services, he plays his fife and lures the rats to the river. Butcan Hamelin ever be truly void of all its vermin?Viktor Dyk's rendition of the Pied Piper legendmasterfully blends lyrical prose with earlytwentieth century modernist perspective. For over acentury, The Ratcatcher has held its own among thegreat works of Czech literature, but now this classicis introduced to us in English for the first time.