The King of Corsica

German writer and translator Kleeberg probes pockets of early 18th-century power in his smartly droll debut about a larger-than-life poseur. Following the death of his father, an impoverished Theodor von Neuhoff is raised by his doting mother, Amalia. Under her indulgent hand, Neuhoff grows up a dreamer bereft of “willpower and discipline,” and with the help of Amalia's admirer, the young baron secures a position in the court of Louis XIV at Versailles. Neuhoff successfully parlays his connections and his glib charm into a career as an adventurer and secret agent for several European governments. He marries an Irish noblewoman and settles in Germany, but he soon abandons her and flees to Italy, where he sells his services to Austria. When asked to lead a Corsican rebellion against the Genovese republic in return for the promise of a crown, the long-suffering baron hopes that his moment has finally arrived. Imaginative characterization, rich historical detail and expressive language—“[t]he dress... enclosed her body like a metaphor, expressing everything and revealing nothing”—make for an impressive American introduction for Kleeberg. (May)