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It's Getting Dark: Stories
Georg is on the verge of retirement. No one notices him anymore at the office, and there is no dinner waiting for him at home. He seems to dissolve slowly and a nameless horror seizes him.
Sabrina is flattered when an artist approaches her. But when she sees herself as a work of art for the first time, she shudders.
David wants to rob a bank. He already has a mask for the purpose, but he won't be using it today. He's heard that bank robbers often study the scene for weeks before they strike. So he's started to lurk.
We think we know our world, but then the familiar suddenly turns strange, and even frightening. In these powerfully affecting, minutely constructed stories, Peter Stamm illustrates how fragile our reality really is, how susceptible to tricks of the heart and mind.
Sabrina is flattered when an artist approaches her. But when she sees herself as a work of art for the first time, she shudders.
David wants to rob a bank. He already has a mask for the purpose, but he won't be using it today. He's heard that bank robbers often study the scene for weeks before they strike. So he's started to lurk.
We think we know our world, but then the familiar suddenly turns strange, and even frightening. In these powerfully affecting, minutely constructed stories, Peter Stamm illustrates how fragile our reality really is, how susceptible to tricks of the heart and mind.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published December 7, 2021
33 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Peter Stamm
63 books358 followersPeter Stamm grew up in Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau the son of an accountant. After completing primary and secondary school he spent three years as an apprentice accountant and then 5 as an accountant. He then chose to go back to school at the University of Zurich taking courses in a variety of fields including English studies, Business informatics, Psychology, and Psychopathology. During this time he also worked as an intern at a psychiatric clinic. After living for a time in New York, Paris, and Scandinavia he settled down in 1990 as a writer and freelance journalist in Zurich. He wrote articles for, among others, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the Tages-Anzeiger, Die Weltwoche, and the satirical newspaper Nebelspalter. Since 1997 he has belonged to the editorial staff of the quarterly literary magazine "Entwürfe für Literatur." He lives in Winterthur.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 6, 2022
I'm a Peter Stamm fan, have read many of his novels, but this story collection underwhelmed me. Perhaps the fault lies with my reading it at the end of 2021, or I wasn't in the mood for stories, or I wasn't in the mood for these stories. Who knows. I might reread them one day and see where I went wrong. In any case, these stories are gloomy, melancholic, precise and reportage-like, as is Stamm's way, anti-myths, in which the past, for many of the characters, enters their present, and they are baffled by the interruption in what might be a banal day. Familiar premises deflated and distorted by Stamm in this ghost-filled collection.
November 12, 2022
Almost like literary magic tricks, but not ostentatious or flashy, rather understated, with an austere beauty, almost closer to literary mentalism while also being formally very strong.
There is a feel to these stories that is hard to place. On the face these appear to be works of contemporary realism: a family on the way to a ski holiday, a man who is dealing with the sudden loss of investments, a stale relationship. But in every case reality slips away, in some way or another, and some other world slips in under the cover of our reality.
They do feel somewhat light, not in terms of tone but in depth. These are not intellectually challenging, there isn't a lot to 'hold on to', but this is a positive quality.
Also nearly half of the stories involve Christmas in some way or another, which would normally be a huge turn off. In these cases though the holiday has a magical quality (or weight), not in the American style of 'the magical' but more in line with what we tend to associate with of Halloween: the veil has grown thin, reality is loaded down with and 'otherness', cause and effect are no longer linear but emergent.
Well worth a read.
There is a feel to these stories that is hard to place. On the face these appear to be works of contemporary realism: a family on the way to a ski holiday, a man who is dealing with the sudden loss of investments, a stale relationship. But in every case reality slips away, in some way or another, and some other world slips in under the cover of our reality.
They do feel somewhat light, not in terms of tone but in depth. These are not intellectually challenging, there isn't a lot to 'hold on to', but this is a positive quality.
Also nearly half of the stories involve Christmas in some way or another, which would normally be a huge turn off. In these cases though the holiday has a magical quality (or weight), not in the American style of 'the magical' but more in line with what we tend to associate with of Halloween: the veil has grown thin, reality is loaded down with and 'otherness', cause and effect are no longer linear but emergent.
Well worth a read.
November 28, 2024
Peter Stamm is Switzerland's most famous and probably greatest author today. He writes in German. His works have been widely translated and when a new Peter Stamm book comes out, it is typically highly praised and acclaimed and reviewers rave about it.
I've read two of Peter Stamm's novels and enjoyed reading them. His book 'Unformed Landscape' is one of my favourite books. It has been a while since I last read a Peter Stamm book and so I thought I'll read this one, 'It's Getting Dark'. It is a collection of short stories.
There are twelve short stories in the collection. One of them, 'Marcia from Vermont' is long, and it is probably a long story. But the rest of them are all proper short stories. 'Marcia from Vermont' is about an artist who goes to a retreat and remembers something which happened to him near that place 32 years back. How the past and present collide form the rest of the story. There seems to be a surprising revelation in the end, but I'm not sure whether it was a real revelation or whether it was the narrator's imagination.
'Supermoon' looked like a modern version of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'. Though I'm not exactly sure whether it is the author's intention or my own imagination. 'Sabrina, 2019' is about a woman who models for a sculpture, and then who gets attached to the sculpture, and mourns when it leaves the gallery. 'The Woman in the Green Coat' is about a doctor who returns to the hospital many years later as a patient. 'Dietrich's Knee' is about a woman nearly cheating on her partner and having an affair, or was she really? Because the ending turns everything upside down! 'It's Getting Dark' is a story of loss set in the winter and we can literally feel the cold seeping into us. 'Shipwreck' is about a man who loses everything and who still tries to count his blessings, inspired by Robinson Crusoe.
'First Snow' was my favourite story from the book. It is about a family who goes on a skiing holiday, and on the way, the husband receives a work call and the wife gets so upset that she leaves with the kids. The husband goes in search of her and ends up in a strange, remote place and magic happens.
There are other stories in the book, but I'll stop here.
While reading the book, I felt that Peter Stamm was probably better at writing novels rather than short stories. Probably short stories were not his thing. Then I read 'First Snow' and I loved it, and then I was no longer sure 😊 I also liked 'Marcia from Vermont' and 'Sabrina, 2019'. Now, when I look back after finishing the book, I feel that it was enjoyable and a pleasant read. I still feel that Stamm is better at writing novels, but when he turns it on, he can also write a great short story like 'First Snow'. If you get a chance, do read this particular story and tell me how it is.
I enjoyed reading 'It's Getting Dark'. Happy to have read my first Peter Stamm short story collection.
(P.S. And look at that cover? Isn't it breathtaking?)
Have you read Peter Stamm? Which is your favourite book of his?
I've read two of Peter Stamm's novels and enjoyed reading them. His book 'Unformed Landscape' is one of my favourite books. It has been a while since I last read a Peter Stamm book and so I thought I'll read this one, 'It's Getting Dark'. It is a collection of short stories.
There are twelve short stories in the collection. One of them, 'Marcia from Vermont' is long, and it is probably a long story. But the rest of them are all proper short stories. 'Marcia from Vermont' is about an artist who goes to a retreat and remembers something which happened to him near that place 32 years back. How the past and present collide form the rest of the story. There seems to be a surprising revelation in the end, but I'm not sure whether it was a real revelation or whether it was the narrator's imagination.
'Supermoon' looked like a modern version of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'. Though I'm not exactly sure whether it is the author's intention or my own imagination. 'Sabrina, 2019' is about a woman who models for a sculpture, and then who gets attached to the sculpture, and mourns when it leaves the gallery. 'The Woman in the Green Coat' is about a doctor who returns to the hospital many years later as a patient. 'Dietrich's Knee' is about a woman nearly cheating on her partner and having an affair, or was she really? Because the ending turns everything upside down! 'It's Getting Dark' is a story of loss set in the winter and we can literally feel the cold seeping into us. 'Shipwreck' is about a man who loses everything and who still tries to count his blessings, inspired by Robinson Crusoe.
'First Snow' was my favourite story from the book. It is about a family who goes on a skiing holiday, and on the way, the husband receives a work call and the wife gets so upset that she leaves with the kids. The husband goes in search of her and ends up in a strange, remote place and magic happens.
There are other stories in the book, but I'll stop here.
While reading the book, I felt that Peter Stamm was probably better at writing novels rather than short stories. Probably short stories were not his thing. Then I read 'First Snow' and I loved it, and then I was no longer sure 😊 I also liked 'Marcia from Vermont' and 'Sabrina, 2019'. Now, when I look back after finishing the book, I feel that it was enjoyable and a pleasant read. I still feel that Stamm is better at writing novels, but when he turns it on, he can also write a great short story like 'First Snow'. If you get a chance, do read this particular story and tell me how it is.
I enjoyed reading 'It's Getting Dark'. Happy to have read my first Peter Stamm short story collection.
(P.S. And look at that cover? Isn't it breathtaking?)
Have you read Peter Stamm? Which is your favourite book of his?
June 19, 2024
I LOVED this anthology and found Stamm’s prose to 1) be expertly and wonderfully translated (I learned so many new words!! 😁) and 2) thought-provoking and poetic. Each story took a different angle on questions of self, relationships with others, reality, and existentialism with relatable and layered characters. It could have been cool to see some more diversity but the book accomplished its vision I think. My next read will also be a short story anthology bc I loved this one so much
November 21, 2022
3.5 for sure.
I ended up really enjoying these stories but will admit, at times, I just didn’t understand them. “Sabine, 2019” was by far my favorite and one I’ll remember for a long time. Like most collections some felt slow, others felt perfectly paced, while others confused the hell out of me.
I ended up really enjoying these stories but will admit, at times, I just didn’t understand them. “Sabine, 2019” was by far my favorite and one I’ll remember for a long time. Like most collections some felt slow, others felt perfectly paced, while others confused the hell out of me.
December 12, 2023
I admire these stories and the odd sensibility they represent. What connects them is a quirk in most of the stories that pivots on the unreal--almost but not quite magical realism. Having recently read the author's novel The Sweet Indifference of the World, I have the sense that this is something of a hallmark of his work.
March 28, 2022
Quick reads that draw you in and have you begging for more, some stories have you questioning the reality of what you are reading and then they end with a bang. Overall a very enjoyable read
September 4, 2022
At least five of the 12 stories in this collection reminded me, at some point, of The Twilight Zone. Those were my favorites. The title story, which is positioned relatively late in the lineup, was among the more surreal of the bunch but somehow still the one I liked least, at least after only one reading of the lot. Almost all the protagonists are solitary creatures, often placed in scenes of total abandonment--Peter at the Christmas Party attended by absolutely no one in "Marcia from Vermont"; the unnamed narrator in the empty grocery store where not even a clerk is around to ring him up in "Supermoon"; Paula, who separates herself from the shore party group in "Cold Reading"; Richard self-isolated in his luxury hotel room in "Shipwreck"; and so on. Probably my favorite, or at least the one I can most imagine Rod Serling narrating, is "Sabrina, 2019," particularly because of its ending. Other notably good endings: "Dietrich's Knee" and, again, "Shipwreck." The latter is the final story and will make you want to reread Robinson Crusoe. Sidenote: I'm definitely not an expert on the art of translation, and I can see from the book jacket that Hofmann is an appreciated and award-winning practitioner of the craft, but the punctuation in this collection seemed curious to me throughout; in particular, the classic comma splice seemed pretty routine, and it's left me wondering if that's because the original German just does such grammatical things a bit differently.
First line (from "Marcia from Vermont"):
"It wasn't exactly a mad dash, but I have to admit it was a relief to get out of the valley at the end of two months."
First line (from "Marcia from Vermont"):
"It wasn't exactly a mad dash, but I have to admit it was a relief to get out of the valley at the end of two months."
December 14, 2021
It's Getting Dark: Stories by Peter Stamm, Michael Hofmann (Translator) is a collection of peculiar short stories that exemplify human emotions. The moral of the stories: take a step back and examine the situation. Is that a rope or a snake?
A man looks back on love. A man daydreams of robbing a bank. A woman leaves things up to fate, but not without leaving an impression. A man disappears. A young woman deals with immortality through art. A curious doctor-turned-patient thinks she spots a former hypochondriac. A man learns to appreciate the little things in life. An untrusting man saves his relationship, on accident, by snooping. A woman loses her brother on a snowy mountain. A young woman and a shy older man enter into an unlikely love affair. Finally, a man loses everything.
These stories are not a quick cliché. They are real. These are relatable stories to delve into deep into the night.
I didn't truly appreciate the stories until a few short stories into the book. I had to get into the appropriate mindset. The stories leave behind a bizarre impression.
Worth a second read.
A man looks back on love. A man daydreams of robbing a bank. A woman leaves things up to fate, but not without leaving an impression. A man disappears. A young woman deals with immortality through art. A curious doctor-turned-patient thinks she spots a former hypochondriac. A man learns to appreciate the little things in life. An untrusting man saves his relationship, on accident, by snooping. A woman loses her brother on a snowy mountain. A young woman and a shy older man enter into an unlikely love affair. Finally, a man loses everything.
These stories are not a quick cliché. They are real. These are relatable stories to delve into deep into the night.
I didn't truly appreciate the stories until a few short stories into the book. I had to get into the appropriate mindset. The stories leave behind a bizarre impression.
Worth a second read.
October 21, 2022
Was excited about this cause I was told it was unsettling and creepy and like the twilight zone. That was a complete lie.
The book is full of short stories that end at the most random times. Makes you think something interesting is about to happen and then either ends there or nothing happens.
On top of that after the first couple of stories they just stop using quotation marks when people talking and makes it very confusing when conversations happen.
I don’t know I was just excited and then disappointed.
The book is full of short stories that end at the most random times. Makes you think something interesting is about to happen and then either ends there or nothing happens.
On top of that after the first couple of stories they just stop using quotation marks when people talking and makes it very confusing when conversations happen.
I don’t know I was just excited and then disappointed.
March 10, 2024
It's a very particular writing style. The writing voice is melancholic and candid. The undertone is an absurdist kind of dry humor. The exercise of stream-of-consciousness is masterful, almost psychedelic. The stories are rich with minute descriptions and rid of excessive drama. Instead of dragging the reader along, they unravel in a gentle ebb and flow that eventually submerges you in a sort of imaginary space.
It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's absolutely mine. I still gave it 3 stars and it hurts me, but I feel like I have to, more on that later.
I loved most stories (in particular "Marcia from Vermont", "Nahtigal", "Supermoon", and "First Snow"), they are beautiful, well-paced, mesmerizing, and hallucinatory. No words could do them adequate service. I love them.
However, the reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 5 is that some stories are of questionable quality. For instance, "Cold Reading" had some beautiful descriptions but at the most essential parts it was stilted and awkward. The plot is also very old, I read something of a very similar plot in a Chinese magazine back in 2016.
A more glaring issue is that the author seems to have very little idea of how to write stories from the point of view of a woman. It's probably no coincidence that all the stories I found brilliant were written from a male point of view. Stamm manages to portray convincing female characters in those stories too (I find Marcia to be a charming love interest, and the female teacher in First Snow is nicely written). But every story where the protagonist is a woman simply doesn't work, even if the story itself has nothing gender-specific and the logic would've been undisturbed if the protagonist were male. "Cold Reading" had a female protagonist. Sabrina in "Sabrina, 2019" left me full of question marks, I guess in Stamm's world, when a young woman feels detached from society and uncertain in life, the best way out is to become a statue in an old (male) tycoon's mansion. "It's Getting Dark", the book's titular piece, is a dismal tryhard at best -- of course it's possible to portray a poignant and painful story in a tone of indifference, but Stamm failed to make it work, and the whole story ends up sounding both forced and sickly. It also had a female protagonist.
The worst of them all would be "My Blood For You", a meta narrative with a female narrator relating the story of the protagonist, who is also female. Before the ending I thought it was slightly weak, but a touching story of kindness and mutual support nonetheless. Basically, a beautiful young woman accompanies a 60-yo (male) bookeeper to give blood together, she finds out that said bookeeper is lonely and unhappy, she keeps him and his mother company, listens to his woes, and encourages him to go travel, the man was convinced and he went traveling. Clichéd story but very sweet and made me smile. BUT in the end when the young woman says she fell in love with the man, I wanted to hit my head on a wall. Look, I'm not opposed to the possibility of a young attractive woman falling in love with someone 3 times her age, I think it could happen for good reasons, but it's gonna take a lot more than going shopping with his mother and listening to him complain about his life, lol.
The exception would be "The Most Beautiful Dress", the female protagonist is very charming. I would prefer if it were less of a love story, but nothing is perfect.
Of course, the author seems capable of flunking even with a male protagonist. Nothing describes the story "Shipwreck" better than its title. Sorry Richard.
It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's absolutely mine. I still gave it 3 stars and it hurts me, but I feel like I have to, more on that later.
I loved most stories (in particular "Marcia from Vermont", "Nahtigal", "Supermoon", and "First Snow"), they are beautiful, well-paced, mesmerizing, and hallucinatory. No words could do them adequate service. I love them.
However, the reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 5 is that some stories are of questionable quality. For instance, "Cold Reading" had some beautiful descriptions but at the most essential parts it was stilted and awkward. The plot is also very old, I read something of a very similar plot in a Chinese magazine back in 2016.
A more glaring issue is that the author seems to have very little idea of how to write stories from the point of view of a woman. It's probably no coincidence that all the stories I found brilliant were written from a male point of view. Stamm manages to portray convincing female characters in those stories too (I find Marcia to be a charming love interest, and the female teacher in First Snow is nicely written). But every story where the protagonist is a woman simply doesn't work, even if the story itself has nothing gender-specific and the logic would've been undisturbed if the protagonist were male. "Cold Reading" had a female protagonist. Sabrina in "Sabrina, 2019" left me full of question marks, I guess in Stamm's world, when a young woman feels detached from society and uncertain in life, the best way out is to become a statue in an old (male) tycoon's mansion. "It's Getting Dark", the book's titular piece, is a dismal tryhard at best -- of course it's possible to portray a poignant and painful story in a tone of indifference, but Stamm failed to make it work, and the whole story ends up sounding both forced and sickly. It also had a female protagonist.
The worst of them all would be "My Blood For You", a meta narrative with a female narrator relating the story of the protagonist, who is also female. Before the ending I thought it was slightly weak, but a touching story of kindness and mutual support nonetheless. Basically, a beautiful young woman accompanies a 60-yo (male) bookeeper to give blood together, she finds out that said bookeeper is lonely and unhappy, she keeps him and his mother company, listens to his woes, and encourages him to go travel, the man was convinced and he went traveling. Clichéd story but very sweet and made me smile. BUT in the end when the young woman says she fell in love with the man, I wanted to hit my head on a wall. Look, I'm not opposed to the possibility of a young attractive woman falling in love with someone 3 times her age, I think it could happen for good reasons, but it's gonna take a lot more than going shopping with his mother and listening to him complain about his life, lol.
The exception would be "The Most Beautiful Dress", the female protagonist is very charming. I would prefer if it were less of a love story, but nothing is perfect.
Of course, the author seems capable of flunking even with a male protagonist. Nothing describes the story "Shipwreck" better than its title. Sorry Richard.
December 13, 2022
"The Most Beautiful Dress" from the collection of Peter Stamm's short stories book called "It's Getting Dark" is one of the most beautiful and engaging short stories ever. It is not a typical "love at first sight" story. It takes place in Switzerland such as other Stamm stories and the season is changing from Autumn to Winter. It begins with Brigitte talking with her friends about a man called Felix who is told to be adored by every woman in their workplace. Brigitte deeply wants to meet this mystery man and eventually they do meet because of their work but Felix doesn't turn out how Brigitte imagined. Felix is a reckless and cocky character so he treats her like a child and always keeps his distance from her but this does not keep Brigitte from falling in love with him. They meet again in a party later and, there; Brigitte dives into the sea naked, she swims and then gets out of the water, makes everybody around her shock. If you read the other Stamm stories you can probably guess that this story doesn't end with a clear conclusion. The usage of amplification is also taking the story to another level and it creates the atmosphere which makes you feel like you are in the story. However, the worst thing about this story, in my opinion, is it's ending being ambiguous, which could've been more future focused but the final sentence (which I will not talk about to avoid giving spoilers) is an important detail. Which gives the story a different perspective. Brigitte's nakedness in a party where everybody else showed up in their most beautiful dresses is representing the fact that her realness & pureness is her "most beautiful dress", and I think that's what draws Felix's sudden attention and interest to her. I would definitely recommend it to ones who is seeking out for mysterious love romance story which can be finished in 10 to 15 minutes and you will never get bored because of its captivating reading.
January 17, 2022
Loved this dark, unsettling collection of short fiction. Writer Peter Stamm is a master of the short story. This collection from the German novelist was intelligent, unsettling, and poignant.
Each story tricked me into thinking all was normal, until a subtle, slow twist unveiled itself and the floor comes out from under you. Mesmerizing storytelling in an effortless, conversational style of writing.
An excellent and fast read, with stories I would definitely revisit again and recommend to others.
Each story tricked me into thinking all was normal, until a subtle, slow twist unveiled itself and the floor comes out from under you. Mesmerizing storytelling in an effortless, conversational style of writing.
An excellent and fast read, with stories I would definitely revisit again and recommend to others.
April 22, 2022
I did not find Peter Stamm dark, although I like dark. I found his stories whimsical and lyrical. Most of the stories are narrated by a woman or a man who is hesitant, passive, and escapes into a fantasy. They return to their reality, having changed it or not. Stamm is gifted in piquing interest and wonder. He blends the two realities of the narrator into a very plausible new reality. I came away with another good dose/reminder to withhold judgement. We never know what is going on inside of others. We are all in process. Peter Stamm describes the process very well.
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April 23, 2022Some reviewers call these stories eerie, or menacing, full of darks moods. But I found them compelling, living at the edge of dream, of consciousness, of constructed reality. Maybe the reviewer for Publishers Weekly was expecting the chippy gee whiz constructed worlds of American sci fi & fantasy. Like Rav's The Employees, this one calls for more meditative, thoughtful responses, more like Chopin's nocturns.
May 16, 2022
The short story collection It’s Getting Dark is a well written piece of literature. Although it contained exquisite word choice and character development, it felt convoluted as I moved through each story. Seeming to contain little connection it was hard to stay inthralled through the constant change of narratives. Overall the book contains strong themes and meaningful tales but is difficult to form a connection with.
February 14, 2022
A few of these left me a little cold, but all of them had a great knack for inspiring a constant sense of not-quite-placeable unease. The more fun and whimsical they got the better I found them, whereas the more straightforward stories I had more mixed feelings about. Amazing sentences throughout though.
December 7, 2022
An unsettling bunch of short stories - best read when the days are getting shorter and the melancholy of the holidays is starting to overwhelm. The writing style is concise and the peculiarities of each short story are what make the collection as a whole memorable. Among the 12 pieces my favorites include Marcia from Vermont, Sabrina 2019, and The Woman in the Green Coat.
February 21, 2022
Did I buy this book for the beautiful cover?
Yes, yes I did.
Honestly, these were some beautiful & weird stories lol. I can’t even explain lol.
But, my faves were:
- Supermoon
- Sabrina, 2019
- Cold Reading
- It’s Getting Dark
- Shipwreck
Yes, yes I did.
Honestly, these were some beautiful & weird stories lol. I can’t even explain lol.
But, my faves were:
- Supermoon
- Sabrina, 2019
- Cold Reading
- It’s Getting Dark
- Shipwreck
December 31, 2021
Thank you Sarah 😊
February 24, 2022
Mesmerizing collection of stories. The atmosphere, the range of emotions displayed.. One can't stop reading once you start.
April 29, 2022
this book felt lonely.
faves:
first snow
dietrich’s knee
my blood for you
faves:
first snow
dietrich’s knee
my blood for you
December 6, 2022
Very imaginative and very diverse topics. A couple of these stories will live on for a while.
June 1, 2023
I really had to suffer through this. It felt like a collection of stories about mundane people doing mundane things and maybe having something curious happen once in a while.
December 29, 2023
If you’re not a bestselling author and you’re CHOOSING to not use quotation marks- you’re just a dick.
January 4, 2024
Kylie oh Kylie! I love you!
November 26, 2024
I was expecting the stories to be creepy or somehow like a thriller. But its reminiscent of watching a couple of episodes of the twilight zone.
December 23, 2024
3.5 stars
favourite stories: “Sabrina, 2019” and “First Snow”
favourite stories: “Sabrina, 2019” and “First Snow”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews