Cover of Fairy Tales: Dramolettes

Fairy Tales: Dramolettes

by Robert Walser

128 pages2015New DirectionsISBN 9780811223980

About this book

Fairy Tales gathers the unconventional verse dramolettes of the Swiss writer Robert Walser. Narrated in Walser's inimitable, playful language, these theatrical pieces overturn traditional notions of the fairy tale, transforming the Brothers Grimm into metatheater, even metareflections. Snow White forgives the evil queen for trying to kill her, Cinderella doubts her prince and enjoys being hated by her evil stepsisters; the Fairy Tale itself is a character who encourages her to stay within the confines of the story. Sleeping Beauty, the royal family, and its retainers are not happy about being woken from their sleep by an absurd, unpretentious, Walser-like hero. Mary and Joseph are taken aback by what lies in store for their baby Jesus.

Publication Details

Publisher
New Directions
Published
2015
Pages
128
ISBN
9780811223980
Language
en

About Robert Walser

Robert Walser (* 15. April 1878 in Biel, Kanton Bern; † 25. Dezember 1956 nahe Herisau, Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden) war ein deutschsprachiger Schweizer Schriftsteller. Walser verfasste vier Romane – *Jakob von Gunten, Geschwister Tanner, Der Gehülfe* und *Der Räuber* –, die längere Erzählung *Der Spaziergang* sowie Kurzgeschichten und Essays. Er gilt als bedeutender Vertreter der literarischen Moderne und der sogenannten Angestelltenliteratur. Seine unkonventionellen, teils rätselhaft wirkenden Werke wurden von Zeitgenossen wie Walter Benjamin, Hermann Hesse, Franz Kafka, Robert Musil und Kurt Tucholsky geschätzt. Trotz Anfangserfolgen blieb Robert Walser der kommerzielle Durchbruch verwehrt. Den grössten Teil seines Lebens verbrachte er in Armut. Nach psychischen Problemen lebte er von 1929 bis zu seinem Tod in Heil- und Pflegeanstalten. Heute gilt er als einer der wichtigsten Schweizer Schriftsteller des 20. Jahrhunderts, und sein Werk wird international rezipiert. ---------- Robert Walser (born April 15, 1878, in Biel, Canton of Bern; died December 25, 1956, near Herisau, Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden) was a German-language Swiss writer. Walser wrote four novels—*Jakob von Gunten, The Tanner Siblings, The Assistant,* and *The Robber*—as well as the novella The Walk, short stories, and essays. He is considered a significant figure in literary modernism and the so-called "white-collar" literature. His unconventional, sometimes enigmatic works were appreciated by contemporaries such as Walter Benjamin, Hermann Hesse, Franz Kafka, Robert Musil, and Kurt Tucholsky. Despite initial success, Robert Walser never achieved commercial success. He spent most of his life in poverty. After suffering from mental health problems, he lived in psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes from 1929 until his death. Today, he is considered one of the most important Swiss writers of the 20th century, and his work is internationally acclaimed.

Track your reading journey with BookOwl