The reciprocal relationship that connects Haym and his literary material is reflected in the raw depiction of the miserable daily life of metropolises, which he personally experienced firsthand in early 20th century Berlin.

The symbolic and lyrical extensions of his work, born from the consciousness of the ugliness of things, the undeniable influence of Nietzsche, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud, the portrayal of landscapes and characters that directly resonate with the shadowy nuances of the masters of horror Francisco de Goya and Gustave Doré, as well as the morbid polychrome of Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch, compose some of the elements that justifiably classify the narratives of this volume among the most significant prose short stories of early German expressionism.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]