The Tanners

Not much happens in The Tanners (about the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the five Tanner siblings) and Robert Walser’s narrative is sometimes too breezy and whimsical. But there are some perceptive and dreamlike moments of each character’s interior thoughts.

I don’t want a future, I want a present. To me this appears of greater value. You have a future only when you have no present, and when you have a present, you forget to even think about the future.

[…]

Why do we wish to see a charming landscape reproduced in a picture?  Is it just for the sake of pleasure?  No, we are hoping this image will explain something - but this is a something that will surely always remain inexplicable.

The New Directions edition of the book features an appreciative introduction by W.G. Sebald.