"This nested narrative is an entertaining exploration of the manifold powers--creative, confessional, corrupting--of fiction." --Publisher's Weekly

"Maurensig gives us a masterfully constructed gothic horror story designed to keep aspiring writers up at night. A macabre little Alpine horror story elevated by masterful storytelling and language." --Kirkus

'Paolo Maurensig gives us a refined and engaging literary fable on narcissism and vainglory, and also on our inextinguishable thirst for stories' Q Libri 'Paolo Maurensig skillfully mixes bizarre narrative with great truths about the human soul' GraphoMania 'A diabolical game that convinces from start to finish. With this short novel, Maurensig offers us an apologue on the literary world that speaks of a country in which everyone writes, and where to breathe the air becomes hellish. The author of The Lüneburg Variation pulls the reader into a plot so intriguing and absorbing that it almost feels like reading a thriller' Liberidiscrivere 'In addition to the beauty of the plot of A Devil Comes to Town, one appreciates the refinement with which Maurensig tackles strong and intimate themes such as narcissism, self-awareness, and the Sartrean archetype of "hell is other people"' EsteticaMente 'Maurensig has created a gripping short novel that is critical about the realities of publishing, a hybrid of at least two genres, highly imaginative, and involving even beyond the final page' Critica Letteraria 'Biblical, oblique, and lying somewhere between thriller, fantasy, and legend, the new novel by Paolo Maurensig, A Devil Comes to Town, is a disturbing reflection in narrative form concerning the darker side of writing' Il Giornale 'A cultured and refined divertissement--with enjoyable retro references to late-romantic gothic literature, to the fantasy of Von Chamisso, to Hoffmann, and to Schnitzler's later works--this book is also a pungent and very topical apologue' Cronache Letterarie 'Paolo Maurensig has written a playful literary novel that has the prodigious rhythm of a thriller' Goodreads 'Intelligently constructed and written in an elegant and refined style, this is a gem for even the most formidable readers; a fantastic little book that will keep you entertained for several wonderful hours over the weekend. Don't miss it!' Passione per Libri

?Maurensig has created a gripping short novel that is critical of the realities of publishing, a hybrid of at least two genres, highly imaginative, and involving even beyond the final page.? ?Critica Letteraria

?Biblical, oblique, and lying somewhere between thriller, fantasy, and legend, the new novel by Paolo Maurensig, A Devil Comes to Town, is a disturbing reflection in narrative form concerning the darker side of writing.? ?Il Giornale

Wild rabies runs rampant through the woods. The foxes are gaining ground, boldly making their way into the village. In Dichtersruhe, an insular yet charming haven stifled by the Swiss mountains, these omens go unnoticed by all but the new parish priest. The residents have other things on their mind: Literature. Everyone?s a writer?the nights are alive with reworked manuscripts. So when the devil turns up in a black car claiming to be a hot-shot publisher, unsatisfied authorial desires are unleashed and the village?s former harmony is shattered. Taut with foreboding and Gothic suspense, Paolo Maurensig gives us a refined and engaging literary parable on narcissism, vainglory, and our inextinguishable thirst for stories.

Paolo Maurensig is one of Italy?s bestselling authors. He debuted in 1993 with The Lüneburg Variation, translated into twenty-five languages, and selling over 2 million copies in Italy. His novels include Canone Inverso, The Guardian of Dreams, and The Archangel of Chess. For his novel Theory of Shadows, published by FSG in the US in January 2018, he won the Bagutta Prize. A Devil Comes to Town is his latest novel and received rave reviews in the European press.