Robert Walser (1878-1956) was a brilliant stylist and a master of literary circumlocution. In recent decades, this prominent modern writer has often been described as overlooked and underestimated during his lifetime. In truth, Walser published with the best German publishers and in the most important newspapers. Furthermore, he mingled in elegant salons and became the secretary of the Berlin Secession. Perikles Monioudis narrates in a keenly insightful and highly empathetic manner how the private and scrupulous son of a shopkeeper from the Swiss province disregarded societal heights, began his voluntary social descent, distanced himself from modern demands, and spent nearly three decades in a mental institution while retaining his clear mind. He follows Walser's poetic instinct and illuminates why his extensive and profound prose work is so significant today.