Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed A schoolboy's diary and other stories by Robert Walser (New York Review Books classics)
Review of "A schoolboy's diary and other stories" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
These feel entirely flat for me. Often with great brevity, Walser's stories seemed to rely on the reader admiring a static picture or fleeting idea. Rarely did the stories in this collection include a well defined character with a clearly trackable desire and that made them very difficult for me to focus on, or discern value for.
I fully understand Robert Walser is a celebrated writer and that my inability to engage with his work is my own shortcoming, either because I lack proper context or because this translation from Searls has problems (as Walser fans here on GR have complained).