In The Mutilated Bacchus (1922), a young genius, severely mutilated after a plane crash, still manages through sheer willpower to turn his home valley into an Eden-like utopia dedicated to the search for Joy; but a twist of fate will lead to a cruel end, full of disillusionment. This volume also includes The Strange Tournament of Love (1924), a bittersweet chronicle of the manner in which Andre Arnyvelde escaped his once-cherished enslavement by the idea of Joy, by recasting the traditional fantasy tale of a competition between suitors to determine who will win the hand of a particularly desirable bride."