{"product_id":"friedrich-durrenmatt-by-friedrich-durrenmatt-9780226836690","title":"Friedrich Dürrenmatt","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThese translations of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's fiction introduce the writer to a new generation of readers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–90) was one of the most important literary figures of the second half of the twentieth century. During the years of the Cold War, arguably only Beckett, Camus, Sartre, and Brecht rivalled him as a presence in European letters. Yet outside Europe, this prolific author is primarily known for only one work, \u003cem\u003eThe Visit\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis second volume of \u003cem\u003eSelected Writings\u003c\/em\u003e reveals a writer who may stand as Kafka's greatest heir. Dürrenmatt's novellas and short stories are searing, tragicomic explorations of the ironies of justice and the corruptibility of institutions. The most well-known work included here is \u003cem\u003eThe Pledge\u003c\/em\u003e, a requiem to the detective story that was made into a film starring Jack Nicholson. The evocative novella \u003cem\u003eThe Assignment\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of a woman filmmaker investigating a mysterious murder in an unnamed Arab country; it has been hailed by Sven Birkerts as \"a parable of hell for an age consumed by images.\" The novella \u003cem\u003eTraps\u003c\/em\u003e, meanwhile, is a chilling comic novella about a travelling salesman who agrees to play the role of the defendant in a mock trial among dinner companions—and then pays the ultimate penalty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDürrenmatt has long been considered a great writer, but one unfairly neglected in the modern world of letters. With these elegantly conceived and expertly translated volumes, a new generation of readers will rediscover his greatest works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47424179470572,"sku":"9780226836690","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780226836690.jpg?v=1774769000","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/friedrich-durrenmatt-by-friedrich-durrenmatt-9780226836690","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}