Jakob von Gunten: Ein Tagebuch

by Robert Walser

"Jakob von Gunten: Ein Tagebuch" by Robert Walser is a novel written in 1908. Presented as a diary, it follows young Jakob, who abandons his wealthy family to enroll in a bizarre Berlin servant school. There, under the enigmatic Benjamenta siblings, students endlessly memorize lessons in subservience while learning almost nothing practical. Jakob navigates strange power dynamics, forbidden attractions, and his own rebellious pride within the institute's oppressive yet dreamlike atmosphere, where reality and fantasy blur in unsettling ways.