This is the first comprehensive analysis of the life and work of Tryggve Andersen. Stressing that Andersen was a transitional writer, Schiff deftly shows him torn between defunct traditions of the recent past and a sterile, hopeless future. Andersen's prose fiction, according to Schiff, contains elegant, finely crafted works of art. His works are highly relevant to today's reader, for they reflect some of the most compelling characteristics of the Western experience of the last century and a half: despair, isolation, ambivalence, and equivocality. Throughout his commentary, Schiff makes it possible to understand Andersen's works in light of a broader cultural perspective. Much about Andersen which has remained shrouded in mystery comes to light here. Futhermore, Schiff offers many new insights into Andersen's themes and ideas, substantially revising previous notions about this frequently misunderstood artist's work.