Stigmata of Bliss: Three Novellas

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.