Robert Walser was a Swiss writer who composed his works in the German language. Throughout his life, Walser balanced his literary pursuits with a variety of low-paying, working-class jobs. Among other roles, he found employment as a copyist, an assistant to an inventor, and a butler. These varied occupational experiences provided a unique backdrop to his life, which was characterized by a persistent struggle for stability.
Although Walser achieved a degree of marginal success early in his writing career, his popularity began to steadily diminish during the second and third decades of the twentieth century. As public interest in his work faded, it became increasingly difficult for Walser to support himself financially through his writing alone. This prolonged period of hardship and neglect eventually culminated in a nervous breakdown. Consequently, Walser spent the remainder of his life living in sanatoria, isolated from the literary career he had once pursued.