Trained as a painter and graphic artist, Wolfgang Hildesheimer became a writer on 18 February 1950 when his studio was so cold that he could not paint. Moving closer to the stove, he picked up a pad and pencil intending to sketch, but instead began to write a story. The next day he wrote another, "und so wurde ich allmählich Schriftsteller, denn wenn man einmal mit dem Schreiben angefangen hat, scheint es schwer, wieder damit aufzuhören, selbst wenn man will, und ich habe seitdem schon mehrmals gewollt" (And so I gradually became a writer, because when one has once begun writing it seems to be difficult to put a stop to it, even if one wants to, and I have wanted to many times since then). A number of literary prizes and honors attest to the critical success of his second career: the Hörspielpreis...