"In America" is Susan Sontag's bold, brilliant bestselling novel -- a kaleidoscopic portrait of America on the cusp of modernity. As she did in her enormously popular novel The Volcano Lover; Sontag casts a story located in the past in a fresh, provocative light to create a fictional world full of contemporary resonance.

In 1876 a group of Poles led by Maryna Zalezowska, Poland's greatest actress, emigrate to the United States and travel to California to found a "utopian commune". When the commune fails, Maryna stays, learns English, and -- as Marina Zalenska -- forges a new, even more triumphant career on the American stage, becoming a diva on par with Sara Bernhardt.

Operatic in the scope and intensity of the emotions it depicts, richly detailed and visionary in its account of America, and peopled with unforgettable characters, In America is Susan Sontag's largest, most astonishing achievement.