Have you ever wondered what might happen if your identity was changed? The Late Mattia Pascal, translated by William Weaver (Andre Deutsch, £9.99 in UK), an early novel by Italian Nobel Laureate, Luigi Pirandello, ives a thought-provoking, often amusing account of such a situation.

Mattia Pascal dreams of escaping from a frustrating existence. He disappears to Monte Carlo where he wins a small fortune gambling. He considers going to America, but instead, rather reluctantly, he boards the train for his hometown.

Then picking up the paper he is astonished to read an account of his own death - clearly a case of mistaken identity but providing an opportunity to recreate himself. A tangled web unfolds. . .