"Olt" unfolds in the course of three vividly described interludes in the life of the title character, an imaginative and detached young man. Enjoyable and precisely structured, this highly original miniature novel gains the body and weight of a work many times its length. Critics praised "Olt" as "Delightful" (Chicago Sun-Times), "Charming and mysterious" (Life), "Fascinating, unusual, sometimes bewildering" (Publishers Weekly), "More like poetry than storytelling" (Village Voice), "The style, the focus on one main character, and the cool listing of experiences tend to remind one of Meursault in "The Stranger"" (Library Journal).