{"product_id":"friedrich-durrenmatt-selected-writings-volume-2-fictions-paperback","title":"Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Selected Writings, Volume 2, Fictions - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eFriedrich Dürrenmatt\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThese translations of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's fiction introduce the writer to a new generation of readers.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-90) was one of the most important literary figures of the second half of the twentieth century. During the years of the cold war, arguably only Beckett, Camus, Sartre, and Brecht rivaled him as a presence in European letters. Yet outside Europe, this prolific author is primarily known for only one work, \u003ci\u003eThe Visit\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This second volume of \u003ci\u003eSelected Writings\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a writer who may stand as Kafka's greatest heir. Dürrenmatt's novellas and short stories are searing, tragicomic explorations of the ironies of justice and the corruptibility of institutions. The most well-known work included here is \u003ci\u003eThe Pledge\u003c\/i\u003e, a requiem to the detective story that was made into a film starring Jack Nicholson. The evocative novellas \u003ci\u003eThe Assignment\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of a woman filmmaker investigating a mysterious murder in an unnamed Arab country; it has been hailed by Sven Birkerts as \"a parable of hell for an age consumed by images.\" The novella \u003ci\u003eTraps\u003c\/i\u003e, meanwhile, is a chilling comic novella about a traveling salesman who agrees to play the role of the defendant in a mock trial among dinner companions-and then pays the ultimate penalty. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dürrenmatt has long been considered a great writer, but one unfairly neglected in the modern world of letters. With these elegantly conceived and expertly translated volumes, a new generation of readers will rediscover his greatest works.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFriedrich Dürrenmatt\u003c\/b\u003e was born in 1921 in the village of Konolfingen, near Berne, Switzerland, and was the son of a Protestant minister. During World War II he studied philosophy and literature at the Universities of Berne and Zurich. He wrote prolifically and traveled widely in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, taking particular interest in human rights and the preservation of Israel. \u003cb\u003eJoel Agee\u003c\/b\u003e has translated numerous German authors into English, including Heinrich von Kleist, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Elias Canetti. He is the author of two memoirs: \u003ci\u003eTwelve Years: An American Boyhood in East Germany\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIn the House of My Fear\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTheodore Ziolkowski\u003c\/b\u003e (1932-2020) was the Class of 1900 Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature at Princeton University. He is the author of many books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Mirror of Justice: Literary Reflections of Legal Crises\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 408\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.87 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 28, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51769392070944,"sku":"9780226836690","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ab2621d7ee8de59eee5b39aa7c88f19b.webp?v=1780346938","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/friedrich-durrenmatt-selected-writings-volume-2-fictions-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}