Living a restless life on the fringes of Swiss society, Robert Walser (1878-1956) could not sustain himself as a writer, and voluntarily spent the final decades of his life in an asylum. Writing joyful short stories and novels in unpretentious prose, Walser earned the admiration of Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, Hermann Hesse, and many others. In this beautifully written finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Susan Bernofsky sets Walser in the context of early 20th century European history, establishing him as one of the most enduring modernist writers.