In Tales of the Heart, Mr. Petrakis - whose books have twice been shortlisted for the National Book Award - describes people and landscapes which together evoke dreams and memories, and reveal the essence of our lives. He begins in the intimate province of the family, with episodes from childhood, young love, and early marriage; the experience of raising children; the aging and death of parents. As life expands outward, Mr. Petrakis's darker sketches tell of gambling obsessions and life in the streets and the risk of death. In reports of travels, he turns a sharp eye on England, the Middle East, and his Greek homeland. Whether he is recalling the world of his family or the world grown large, he writes with a novelist's eye and a poet's language.