Published biographies by our Fellows

Published biographies by our Fellows

Published biography Thad Ziolkowski Published biography Thad Ziolkowski

Susan Bernofsky; Clairvoyant of the Small: The Life of Robert Walser

Susan Bernofsky is a 2012 – 2013 Fellow
Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography

The great Swiss-German modernist author Robert Walser lived eccentrically on the fringes of European society—his pronounced interest in everything inconspicuous and modest prompted W. G. Sebald to dub him “a clairvoyant of the small.” His revolutionary use of short prose forms won him the admiration of Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, Robert Musil, and many others. In this immaculately researched and beautifully written biography Susan Bernofsky sets Walser in the context of early twentieth century European history, establishing him as one of the most important modernist writers. 

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