[

] is the second major novel by Max Frisch, the most celebrated Swiss writer of the twentieth century. Often linked with its predecessor

[

, 1954], it extends what would become a hallmark of Frisch's literary corpus: the characters' quest for an authentic, individual identity. Unique in

, however, and what gives this novel its distinctive character, is the extent to which that individual identity is both defined by and threatened by modern technology. Whereas Stiller is Frisch's prototype of the artist, struggling to escape the confines of a pedestrian society, Walter Faber is the quintessential technocrat, an engineer with neither patience for nor interest in the arts. The tension between these two early novels…

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Citation: Ricker-Abderhalden, Judith. "Homo faber". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13980, accessed 21 November 2024.]