Walks with Walser
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Walks with Walser
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?
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See moreA unique and personal portrait of the beloved, legendary Swiss writer, finally in English
After a nervous breakdown in 1929, Robert Walser spent the remaining twenty-seven years of his life in mental asylums, closed off from the rest of the world in almost complete anonymity. While at the Herisau sanitarium, instead of writing, Walser practised another favourite activity: walking. Starting in 1936, Carl Seelig, Walser's friend and literary executor, visited and accompanied him on these walks, meticulously recording their conversations.
As they strolled, Walser told stories, shared his daily experiences of the sanatorium, and expressed his opinions about books and art, writing and history. When Seelig asked why he no longer wrote, Walser famously replied: "I'm not here to write, I'm here to be mad."
Filled with lively anecdotes and details, Walks with Walser offers the fullest available account of this wonderful writer's inner and outer life.
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?
Reviewers praise Carl Seelig's personal, firsthand account as the closest thing to a memoir of Walser, highlighting the candid and humorous conversations between friend and writer. It is described as an invaluable text for serious readers of Walser, noted for its delightful anecdotes and essential role in preserving Walser's legacy, ensuring his continued recognition rather than obscurity.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780811221399
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 25 April 2017
Country: United States
Imprint: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Contributors:
- Translated by Anne Posten
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 13.0mm
Width: 132.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 159g
Pages: 144
About the Author
Carl Seelig (1894-1962) was a Swiss editor and writer and Robert Walser's friend, guardian, and literary executor. He was a selfless supporter of countless other writers, and was also Albert Einstein's first biographer. Anne Posten is a literary translator based in New York.
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