THE BRIGHTNESS OF BLOOD

In the contemporary market, writers generally write not for themselves, but for others: to seduce the market, to pamper publishers, to please critics, or simply, and most horribly, to engage with the "history of literature," whatever that may be. What they do, in fact, is level all the stakes down and thus take no risks at all. But the persistent Diter Stein, no: he wrote an absolutely singular book, one that leaves us perplexed and uneasy with its radical singularity. He now belongs to a select group of courageous writers who, without regard for the market, success, or criticism, write to achieve what they are.