Microscripts

Born 1878 in Switzerland, Robert Walser was at various times in his life a bank teller, office clerk, scribe, house servant, machinist's assistant, and archivist. Although he wrote four novels and some poetry, his production consisted mainly of hundreds of small prose pieces. Being small was a key concern. His writing got smaller and smaller until, before he ceased writing altogether, he wrote a tiny script with letters about one millimeter high. By this time he had committed himself to a sanitarium where he remained for 27 years, mostly not writing. Always an avid taker of walks, Walser died in a snowdrift while out for a walk in 1956.

Maira Kalman illustrated William Strunk Jr's classic The Elements of Style and is the author of My Favorite Things, Principles of Uncertainty, and And the Pursuit of Happiness. She is also the author/illustrator of numerous children's books, and her artwork has graced a dozen covers of The New Yorker. Her watches, clocks, accessories, and paperweights have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art store. She lives in New York City.Alex Kalman is a designer, curator, writer, and creative director. The founder of What Studio?, he is the founder, director, and a chief curator of Mmuseumm, a new type of museum described as "curatorial genius" by The Atlantic and "one of the top twelve hidden art gems in the world" by the New York Times T magazine. The writer Rob Walker coined his unique curatorial style "Object Journalism." Alex also published the very first ever Op-Object column published in the New York Times. His artwork, films, installations, and exhibitions have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Venice Architecture Biennale, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His most recent project, Future Aleppo, was exhibited at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He lives in New York City.

Susan Bernofsky is the acclaimed translator of Hermann Hesse, Robert Walser, and Jenny Erpenbeck, and the recipient of many awards, including the Helen and Kurt Wolff Prize and the Hermann Hesse Translation Prize. She teaches literary translation at Columbia University and lives in New York.