The lady kissed him.
“No,” she said, “you won’t sink. If such a thing were to happen, what a shame it would be—a shame for you. You must never again condemn yourself so criminally, so sinfully. You respect yourself too little, and others too much. I wish to shield you against judging yourself so harshly. Do you know what it is you need? You need things to go well for you again for a little while. You must learn to whisper into an ear and reciprocate expressions of tenderness. Otherwise you’ll become too delicate. I shall teach you; I wish to teach you all the things you’re lacking. Come with me. We shall go out into the winter night. Into the blustery forest. There’s so much I must say to you. Do you know that I’m your poor, happy prisoner? Not another word, not one word more. Just come—”
Copyright © Suhrkamp Verlag Zurich 1978 and 1985
License edition by permission of the owner of rights, Carl-Seelig-Stiftung, Zurich
Translation copyright © 2009 by Susan Bernofsky
“Le Promeneur Solitaire” from the forthcoming work A Place in the Country by W. G. Sebald, to be published by Random House, Inc., English translation copyright © 2009 by Jo Catling, copyright © 1998 by W. G. Sebald. Reprinted by permission The Estate of W. G. Sebald and Random House, Inc.
This translation of Robert Walser’s Der Geschwistern Tanner is published by arrangement with Suhrkamp Verlag.
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in a newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or website review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
New Directions would like to thank Jo Catling, Scott Moyers of the Andrew Wylie Agency, and Deborah Foley of Random House for helping with the publication of W. G. Sebald’s essay, “Le Promeneur Solitaire.”
Translator’s note for “Le Promeneur Solitaire”: All translations of Walser are taken where possible from the published translations by Susan Bernofsky and Christopher Middleton of his works. I should like to thank Susan Bernofsky, Curdin Ebneter, Barbara Epler, Dr. Richard Hibbitt, Dr. Brigid Purcell, Ada Vigliani and Anthony Vivis for their assistance and advice.
New Directions gratefully acknowledges the support of Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council.
First published as a New Directions clothbound in 2009
Published simultaneously in Canada by Penguin Books Canada Limited
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Walser, Robert, 1878–1956.
[Geschwister Tanner. English]
The Tanners / Robert Walser ; translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky ; with an introduction by W. G. Sebald (translated by Jo Catling).
p. cm.
eISBN 978-0-8112-2132-0
I. Bernofsky, Susan. II. Title.
PT2647.A64G513 2009
833'.912—dc22 2009020788
New Directions Books are published for James Laughlin
by New Directions Publishing Corporation,
80 Eighth Avenue, New York 10011
ALSO BY ROBERT WALSER
FROM NEW DIRECTIONS
The Assistant
Microscripts
The Tanners Page 32