Friedrich Dürrenmatt was born in 1921 in the village of Konolfingen, near Berne, Switzerland, and was the son of a Protestant minister. During World War II he studied philosophy and literature at the Universities of Berne and Zurich. He wrote prolifically and traveled widely in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, taking particular interest in human rights and the preservation of Israel. Joel Agee has translated numerous German authors into English, including Heinrich von Kleist, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Elias Canetti. He is the author of two memoirs: Twelve Years: An American Boyhood in East Germany and In the House of My Fear. Kenneth J. Northcott (1922-2019) was professor emeritus of German at the University of Chicago. He translated many books for the University of Chicago Press. Brian Evenson is the author of numerous works of fiction, including A Collapse of Horses and The Warren. He lives in Los Angeles and teaches in the Critical Studies Program at the California Institute of the Arts.