Robert Walser is one of the most mysterious writers of his time. The first ones, in 1898 after they appeared, the poems opened the door to R. Valser's literary salons in Munich and Berlin. With his three novels Geschwister Tanner (1907), Der Gehülfe (1908) and Jakob von Gunten (1909), he gained some recognition, but it was not enough to establish himself in the literary life of Berlin.In 1913, believing that his career as a writer had failed, he composed most of his short texts. Some of them were published: Little Prose (Kleine Prosa, 1917), Life of a Poet (Poetenleben, 1918), Country in the Sea (Seeland, 1920). 1917 is considered the most important work of this creative period. wrote the short story The Walk (Der Spaziergang). A novel written in the same year did not interest Tobold's publishers and his manuscript disappeared. in 1921 the manuscript of the finished novel Teodoras also did not survive.Although his name was mentioned quite often in literary magazines and major newspapers, only one book by R. Valser saw the light of day - a collection of essays, The Rose (Die Rose, 1925). Many texts, including the novel Der Räuber, written in 1925 but not published until 1972, survive in micrograph drafts. A total of 526 pages have survived, written in such small print that it was long believed to be encrypted texts. During the last 20 years of the 20th century, these manuscripts were deciphered and published in the 6-volume publication The Pencil Margin (Aus dem Bleistiftgebiet, 1985-2000).
