In his small book, which brought the author wide fame, the modern Swiss writer Klaus Merz managed to fit on a few printed pages an entire family saga about the life of three generations of Swiss peasants. Merz talks about the dramatic lives of his heroes extremely delicately and carefully, with amazing sincerity and dignity, finding, as German critics put it, a unique “balance between sadness, faith and love.” The unusually concentrated and poetic form of storytelling was enthusiastically noted in the press. Merz's novel went through several editions and was awarded the Hermann Hesse Prize. The Russian edition of the book is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the establishment of Russian-Swiss diplomatic relations.