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Jakob von Gunten

By Robert Walser
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jakob von Gunten by Robert Walser is a captivating narrative set in a peculiar educational institution known as the Benjamenta Institute. The story follows Jakob, a young man who enrols in the school to escape his bourgeois background. Through his diary entries, he critically observes the oppressive yet oddly liberating nature of the school, as he explores themes of identity, ambition, and the constraints of societal structures.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by introspective narratives and subtle critique of societal norms, as it offers a poetic and whimsical journey through the protagonist's experiences in a peculiar educational institution. This novel may appeal to readers who appreciate exploring themes of individuality and identity through richly nuanced, reflective prose.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Robert Walser's great masterpiece, reissued with a foreword by J. M. Coetzee.

Robert Walser's great masterpiece, reissued with a foreword by J. M. Coetzee

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Institut Benjamenta: a school of humility for the unambitious. The young Jakob von Gunten arrives at this most curious of educational establishments with the goal of becoming 'something very small and subordinate later in life', a goal he sets about achieving with laconic dedication and wry detachment.

Irony, scepticism, absurd images and sensations, disconcerting humour, minor humiliations and minute observations mingle to form one of the signature works of twentieth-century fiction. First published in 1908, a forerunner to and key influence on the work of writers such as Franz Kafka and Thomas Bernhard, Robert Walser's masterpiece is a paean to infinitesimal unimportance, a celebration of the marginal life that is the life of the mind.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Jakob von Gunten by Robert Walser is highly praised for its unique style and emotional depth. Literary figures such as W.G. Sebald, Hermann Hesse, and Susan Sontag have lauded Walser's poignant and evocative writing, with Hesse suggesting that a wider readership would improve the world. Many commend the novel's blend of exuberance and introspection, noting its elegant yet expressive prose that draws comparisons to notable authors like Dostoevsky and Joseph Roth.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788164504

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Edition: Main - Classic Edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 144g

Pages: 192

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Robert Walser

About the Author

Robert Walser was born in Switzerland in 1878 and worked as a bank clerk before becoming a writer. In 1929 he was diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia and was admitted to Waldau psychiatric hospital. In 1933 he was transferred against his will to the sanitorium at Herisau, where he gave up on writing. Walser died there on Christmas Day, 1956.

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