Fiction. Art. Translated from the German by Paul North. Illustrated by Friese Undine. The Swiss author Robert Walser's ANSWER TO AN INQUIRY is a short work written in the form of a letter. Walser assumes the voice of a great man of the theater responding to an aspiring actor's request for advice. The young actor is given very simple, practical suggestions on how best to perform absolute anguish. This new edition, featuring a new translation accompanied by more than 40 drawings is a collaboration between translator Paul North and artist Friese Undine. ANSWER TO AN INQUIRY should serve as a practical handbook for anyone wanting to convey deep suffering.

Author City: Biel/Bienne SWI

Born 1878 in Switzerland, Robert Walser was at various times in his life a bank teller, office clerk, scribe, house servant, machinist's assistant, and archivist. Although he wrote four novels and some poetry, his production consisted mainly of hundreds of small prose pieces. Being small was a key concern. His writing got smaller and smaller until, before he ceased writing altogether, he wrote a tiny script with letters about one millimeter high. By this time he had committed himself to a sanitarium where he remained for 27 years, mostly not writing. Always an avid taker of walks, Walser died in a snowdrift while out for a walk in 1956.

Reviews and Other Links
Friese Undine
Jordan Sayle @ The Brooklyn Rail
Gina Myers @ NewPages