We're Flying

Following the publication of the widely acclaimed novel Seven Years comes a trove of stories from the Swiss master Peter Stamm. They all possess the traits that have built StammвЂTMs reputation: the directness of the prose, the deceptive surface simplicity of the narratives, and deep psychological insight into the existential dilemmas of contemporary life. Stamm does not waste a word, nor does he spare the readerвЂTMs feelings. These stories are a superb introduction to his work and a gift for all those who have come to regard his fiction as a precise rendering of the contemporary human psyche. Review “Peter StammвЂTMs stories are incisively pared down, as if he cuts through the surface of things: everything is peeled open, apparent, naked... Each story is intriguing like a complex piece of machinery where you can see everything even if you don't understand how it works.” –Tessa Hadley, author of Married Love and The London Train “Stamm finds variety in setting and with characters of differing ages and social classes, and by writing in first, second, and third person in both past and present tense. More significantly, he connects so closely to the psyches of these individuals that his style becomes mutable, variously suggesting the eerie claustrophobia of Shirley Jackson, the brittle edge of Raymond Carver, and even the warmth of Lorrie Moore.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Many of StammвЂTMs characters seem perplexed about what life is, yet what life might be about or how to live it are questions they would never think to ask. The slightest indispositions overwhelm them. Stamm builds these half-lives in declarative sentences, and HofmannвЂTMs translation has a terse exactness. A [character] offers this: 'A feeling has no nose, no cheeks, no mouth. You canвЂTMt trust your feelings, theyвЂTMre too inexact.' StammвЂTMs great gift is to let feelings remain unspoken.” – Booklist “The 22 stories in Swiss writer Peter StammвЂTMs WeвЂTMre Flying intimately explore the peaks and valleys of his charactersвЂTM often solitary passions and obsessions.” – Elle “ Beneath the surface placidity of Swiss life, undercurrents of spiritual turmoil and existential despair charge this powerful collection of provocative stories...Renowned in European literary circles, SwitzerlandвЂTMs Stamm didnвЂTMt achieve his stateside critical breakthrough until his last novel (Seven Years , 2011, etc.). This story collection is even better, with pieces that read like the Zurich equivalent of Camus or Kafka, occasionally laced with a bit of Ibsen or Ingmar Bergman…For those who have an affinity for metaphysical fiction written with a surgeonвЂTMs precision, this collection will spur readers to seek out everything else by its author.” – Kirkus (starred review) “These tautly constructed stories, with echoes of such disparate authors as Patricia Highsmith and Anton Chekhov, take root in the psyche and will not let you go” – Library Journal "The achievement of this collection...is not a small one. The style evokes absurdity, but the stories themselves are saved from being absurd. It is not always courageous to simply tour through lifeвЂTMs moments of futility and failure. Stamm examines these moments with the riskier project of exploring the messy humanity exposed therein. He invites us to recognize ourselves there—and to do so without shame." – The Rumpus "So, so good. I heartily recommend this book, Stamm is a master at work and the collection will delight and startle in equal measure." – Alex in Leeds About the Author Peter Stamm was born in 1963, in Weinfelden, Switzerland. He is the author of the novel Agnes, and numerous short stories and radio plays. His novels Unformed Landscape, On a Day Like This, and Seven Years, and the collection In Strange Gardens and Other Stories are available from Other Press. His prize-winning books have been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives outside of Zurich. В Michael Hofmann has translated the works of Franz Kafka, Joseph Roth, and Peter Stephan Jungk. He is the author of several books of poems and a book of essays, Behind the Lines, and is the editor of the anthology Twentieth-Century German Poetry. He lives in Florida and London.