Arno Schmidt

Arno Schmidt (18 January 1914 – 3 June 1979) was a German author and translator. He was born in Hamburg, Germany. He is considered to be one of the most important postwar German authors. His writing "ranges from (seemingly) straightforward stories to writing that assails the reader with a literary and linguistic density of the highest degree." To make his most famous work, Zettels Traum [Bottom's Dream], Schmidt wrote 130,000 note cards (Zettel). The novel is written in an unusual way. The text is written in three columns on each page. Each column has a different theme. In addition, Schmidt used physical constructs in the novel that had to be added by hand.

Further reading

• Langbehn, Volker Max, 2003, Arno Schmidt's Zettel's Traum: An Analysis (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture)

Other websites

• Arno Schmidt at the complete review
• Arno Schmidt, German author