Conversation of the Three Wayfarers

This searching novella from Weiss (1916–1982), a German filmmaker and painter best known for his play Marat/Sade, comprises the disjointed and often contradictory memories of three indistinguishable narrators. Abel, Babel, and Cabel are big, bearded men who tell and retell seemingly unrelated tales during their walks together, though it is impossible to discern who is speaking at any given time. Depending on who’s talking, the city’s pontoon bridge is either new or has been there for a long time. One of the men crossed with his bride in a coach that was rear-ended after she vomited. Another crossed to marry a woman he had gotten pregnant, though he later says he left her within the hour. The ferryman, who provided passage before the bridge was built, is a recurring character as well, along with his wife and six sons—Jam, Jem, Jim, Jom, Jum, and Jym. Some of their stories blossom into engaging fantasies, as one of the men recollects his “seven years of prejudice, habit and fallacy” while visiting his former home. Others are opaque and rambling, like the man who wanders through his building wearing one slipper while trying to restore phone service. Weiss carries readers along by sustaining the impression of deeper, hidden meanings, even if they don’t always reveal themselves. (Apr.)