THE ASSIGNMENT or On the Observing of the Observer of the Observers

New York: Random House, 1988. Printed White Bi-color Boards. Near Fine/Very Good. 8 3/16" Tall. This is a translation of Der Aufgang [Zurich: Diogenes Verlag, 1988]. "When Otto von Lambert was informed by the police that his wife Tina had been found dead and violated at the foot of the Al-Hakim ruin, and that the crime was as yet unsolved, the psychiatrist, well known for his book on terrorism, had the corpse transported by helicopter across the Mediterranean, suspended in its coffin by ropes from the bottom of the plane, so that it trailed after it slightly, over vast stretches of sunlit land, through shreds of clouds, across the Alps in a snow-storm, and later through rain showers, until it was gently reeled down into an open grave surrounded by a mourning party, and covered with earth, whereupon von Lambert, who had noticed that F., too, had filmed the event, briefly scrutinized her and, closing his umbrella despite the rain, demanded that she and her team visit him that same evening, since he had an assignment for her that could not be delayed." [First Chapter] This is the first chapter of twenty-four, through which the author remains as parsimonious with full stops as he is profligate with atmosphere and detail. Not your ordinary atrocity fiction. 129 [+ 4 unnumbered] pages. Dust jacket is slightly rubbed and has a mended tear; boards and text are clean and near new.