The stories of Riddles of the Heart have one overarching motif: the age-old puzzle of physical attraction, sensuality, desire, and the unfathomable course of passionate love. The works in this anthology were written between 1880 and 1920 by the following classical Ukrainian male authors: Mykola Chernyavsky, Ivan Franko, Hnat Khotkevych, Mykhaylo Kotsyubynsky, Osyp Makovey, Mykhaylo Mohylyansky, Panas Myrny, Leonid Pakharevsky, Stepan Vassylchenko, and Volodymyr Vynnychenko.