A vintage postcard of the Metropol Hotel, in Moscow, *top,* and the cast of *A Gentleman in Moscow,* Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, and Alexa Goodall, *above.*

From the Metropol Hotel to Hollywood

In an interview, Amor Towles discusses adapting A Gentleman in Moscow for the screen and the inspiration behind his newest book, Table for Two

By Jim Kelly

The most remarkable fact about Amor Towles is not that he worked at a hedge fund for more than 20 years before publishing his first novel, Rules of Civility, in 2011. No, the most remarkable fact about Towles is that he followed that best-seller, about a young woman and her friends in late 1930s New York, with two more novels that not only also became best-sellers but inhabit such different worlds: A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) and The Lincoln Highway (2021).

Those of us who have trouble picking a favorite Towles book now face the dilemma of having a fourth contender, Table for Two, a collection of short stories and a novella. And if you are looking for a reading break, well, you can watch A Gentleman in Moscow, the eight-part-series adaptation starring Ewan McGregor and now streaming on Paramount+.