Nobodaddy's Children     by Arno Schmidt, Translated by John E. Woods Original title: Nobodaddy's Kinder Published by Dalkey Archive Press Pub. Date: December 1, 1995 Format: Paperback, 260 pages ISBN: 1564780902 List Price: $13.95 buy now directly from the publisher Free Shipping Worldwide Published by Dalkey Archive Press Pub. Date: December 1, 1995 Format: Cloth, 260 pages ISBN: 156478083X List Price: $32.00 buy now directly from the publisher Free Shipping Worldwide

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This trilogy of novels traces life in Germany from the Nazi era through the postwar years and into an apocalyptic future. Scenes from the Life of a Faun recounts the dreary life of a government worker who escapes the banality of war by researching the exploits of a deserter from the Napoleonic Wars nicknamed The Faun. Brand's Heath deals with th e chaos of the immediate postwar period as a writer joins a small community of "survivors" to try to forge a new life. Dark Mirrors is set in a future where civilization has been virtually destroyed; the narrator fears he may be the last man on earth, unti l the discovery of another creates new fears. All three novels are characterized by Schmidt's unique combination of sharply observed details, sarcastic asides, and wide erudition.

"[Schmidt's] insistent fragments and sentences compose an enchanting music . And the characters, who spring from darkness like damned sinners in Dante, are so crisply defined they refuse to leave one's imagination—especially the women and, among them, especially the last woman on earth in the last novel. . . . Schmidt had no au dience in English before because everyone except for Mr. Woods knew he could not be translated. But here he is, in English as startling and fresh as his German."—New York Times

"A truly witty and innovative writer."—Chicago Tribune

"Reading Arno Schmidt can be addictive."—Times Literary Supplement

"What matters most about Schmidt is his extraordinary use of language, his mosaic style of storytelling, an original method of punctuation and, in these particular titles, a subtle use of such leitmotifs as rabbits, tenors and stolen paintings."— Washington Post Book World

"The first two volumes of a projected four show Schmidt as a world-class talent, a German James Joyce. . . . Woods' translations are excellent for capturing the imagery. . . . Highly recommended."—The Reader's Review

"Although the novellas are saturated in guilt and hatred of war, Schmidt's imaginative descriptions and clever, sarcastic voice make this collection a joy to read."—Publishers Weekly

"[Schmidt is] that rarest of the rarities: an experimental writer who's actually fun to read."—Kirkus Reviews

"[Schmidt is] a very welcome companion, acerbic, fulminating, erudite and always interesting."—ZYX