A Schoolboy’s Diary and Other Stories by Robert Walser; translated by Damion Searles NYRB Classics; 208 p. The story goes that legendary Swiss Modernist writer, Robert Walser, met Lenin during World War I. Both found themselves in Zurich and when they met, Walser, reportedly, only said, “So you, too, like fruitcake?” This odd story captures the allure and abiding mystery of Walser and his works: he created worlds of endless ambiguity that felt both of this world and dreamily aloof. […]