Robert Walser's 'Petite Prose' and the Dialectic of Joy and Distress
A new compilation of Robert Walser's writings titled 'Petite Prose' brings together 21 pieces from 1917, the year he returned to Bienne after his time in Berlin. Released by Zoé, a publisher based in Geneva, and overseen by Walser expert Peter Utz along with translator Marion Graf, this book is part of a larger series. More than fifteen volumes have been published, including his 'micrograms' from 1912. Additionally, the collection includes 'Au bureau' from 1909, which presents a more somber tone. Walser's literature reflects a blend of happiness and sorrow. His friend Carl Seelig noted Walser's appreciation in 'Promenades avec Robert Walser,' published two decades after his passing on December 25, 1956. The series aims to democratize Walser's work.
Key facts
- 'Petite Prose' collects 21 texts from 1917.
- The volume includes the 1909 collection 'Au bureau'.
- Walser returned to Bienne from Berlin in 1917.
- Publisher Zoé, with Peter Utz and Marion Graf, has released over fifteen volumes of Walser's work.
- Walser's 'micrograms' were written in minuscule script on scraps from 1912 onward.
- Carl Seelig published 'Promenades avec Robert Walser' in 1976 (20 years after Walser's death).
- Walser died on December 25, 1956, near the Herisau asylum in Appenzell.
- Walser spent 27 years in psychiatric care and renounced literature in his later years.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Walser
- Carl Seelig
- Peter Utz
- Marion Graf
- Angélus Silesius
- Martin Heidegger
- Lenau
- Johann Peter Eckermann
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Institutions
- Zoé
- Gallimard
- Rivages
Locations
- Bienne
- Switzerland
- Berlin
- Geneva
- Herisau
- Appenzell
Sources
- artpress —