Bruno Schulz, Birds.

If you ever wanted to read a writer who is universally respected by every iconic European writer, yet generally unknown in the United States, pick up any book by Bruno Schulz.  He is incredibly under-rated.  His writing was cut short and some of his work was destroyed by the Nazis, but remains of his art and literature is stunning.  His personal story is very interesting, but it’s heartbreaking that the world was cheated out of more writing by this man.  Schulz is Polish, and he wrote in Polish.  As I read lines like these, I translate them into Polish, and am saddened when my skills aren’t enough to know what his writing sounded like in the original.  I can not recommend this man’s work enough, it’s descriptive, haunting, beautiful, enigmatic, gothic, modern.  It’s so good.