Clairvoyant of the Small
The Life of Robert Walser

I'm an admirer of Walser, and of Bernofsky's translations of Walser, so perhaps it's no surprise that this book sings - and yet, the combination of line-level analysis, myth-busting (re: Walser's legendary sanatorium stay), and research is intoxicating.......more

A superb biography. It will fascinate Walserians, but its appeal is broader than that. This astonishing artist's struggle to work and remain afloat financially is moving, but when he fails, for in his day that's how he saw himself, it's heartbreaking. Experiencing aural hallucinations, he checks hims......more

Susan Bernofsky leaves no stone unturned in examining the life of the enigmatic peripatetic Swiss writer, Robert Walser. The obsessive nature of her sleuthing is evident in her appendix uncovering the countless addresses that Walser had throughout his life. No detail escapes her notice, not even sco......more

Filling in the Spaces Surrounding a Ghost Susan Bernofsky provides the many details, both personal and social, that comprised the author Robert Walser. She avoids romanticizing his struggles and usually gives him the last word on matters pertaining to his own way of life and his unique thinking. Ther......more

Bernofsky’s biography of Robert Walser is infectious in its enthusiasm for its subject, whose literary ability was hard-earned, his success hard-fought, and his oeuvre largely overlooked until the 21st century. While reading, I found myself anxiously cheering for Robert’s first big break and continu......more