Klaus Merz is one of the most prominent, prolific, and versatile Swiss writers working today. Celebrated as a master of concise, condensed sentences, Merz brings depth and resonance to spare narratives with lyrical prose and striking images. "Stigmata of Bliss" brings together three of Merz s critically acclaimed novellas, offering English readers the perfect introduction to his work. "Jacob Asleep" introduces a family marked by illness, eccentricity, and a child s death. In "A Man ""s Fate," a moment of inattention on a mountainous hike upends a teacher s life and his understanding of mortality. And finally, "The Argentine" traces the fluctuations of memory and desire in a man s journey around the world. In each novella, Merz takes readers on a profound and intimate journey. Read as a whole, the works complement, enrich, and echo each other.

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